Effects of antifouling compounds on the growth of macroalgae Undaria pinnatifida.

Seaweeds are some of the principal primary producers of marine environments, and they are important ecological elements of coastal ecosystems. The effects of harmful chemicals on seaweeds may adversely affect coastal ecosystems, hence we aimed to develop a new phytotoxicity test using the gametophytes of a common temperate kelp species, Undaria pinnatifida (KU-1630), for the widely used antifouling chemical substances Cybutryne, Diuron, Cu2+, and Zn2+. Toxicity to gametophytes of U. pinnatifida was assessed by comparing the relative growth rate (RGR) at the logarithmic growth phase. Fragmentation method, initial algal biomass, photon irradiance, and adhesive period were investigated for developing optimal test conditions. Cybutryne exposure tests were performed with seven replicates and control, the RGR ranging from 0.17 to 0.19, while mean 7-day EC50 and no observed effect concentration (NOEC) were 5.1 µg/L and 1.8 µg/L, respectively. The 7-day EC50 for other antifoulants was 14 µg/L for Diuron, 17 µg/L for Cu2+, and 1500 µg/L for Zn2+. This test method demonstrated high sensitivity and reproducibility, and it may be added to the routine methods used for toxicity evaluation of hazardous chemicals.

ACTIVATION OF HUMAN FIBROBLASTS BY CHRONIC RADIATION RATHER THAN ACUTE RADIATION.

Cancer-associated fibroblast (CAF), an activated type of fibroblast, is a major stromal cell that contributes to tumor initiation and development in the tumor microenvironment (TME). We previously reported that fractionated radiation rather than acute radiation causes progressive damage to mitochondria and increases the generation of reactive oxygen species, playing an important role in the fibroblast activation in normal tissue injury. Activated fibroblasts then become CAF by interacting with tumor cells, promoting tumor growth in vivo. We here examined the chronic radiation effect on fibroblast activation. Acute radiation (<2.5 Gy) did not increase alpha-Smooth muscle actin, a CAF marker expression in healthy human cells, whereas chronic radiation (2.5 Gy) did. It can be concluded that the induction of fibroblast activation changes across acute radiation, fractionated radiation, and chronic radiation depending on the irradiation technique. This study highlights that radiation activates fibroblasts, playing a role in radiation-related tumor development via TME formation.

Precise Measurement of Differential Cross Sections of the Σ

The differential cross sections of the Σ^{-}p→Λn reaction were measured accurately for the Σ^{-} momentum (p_{Σ}) ranging from 470 to 650 MeV/c at the J-PARC Hadron Experimental Facility. Precise angular information about the Σ^{-}p→Λn reaction was obtained for the first time by detecting approximately 100 reaction events at each angular step of Δcosθ=0.1. The obtained differential cross sections show a slightly forward-peaking structure in the measured momentum regions. The cross sections integrated for -0.7≤cosθ≤1.0 were obtained as 22.5±0.68 [statistical error(stat.)] ±0.65 [systematic error(syst.)] mb and 15.8±0.83(stat)±0.52(syst) mb for 470

Clinical retrospective study of dental implant removal: do patients who require implant removal desire implant prosthesis again?

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the causes of dental implant removal due to complications, and examined whether patients who had dental implant removal desired re-implant prosthesis treatments. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A retrospective case-control study was conducted on patients who had their dental implants removed. We investigated whether the removed dental implant was replaced with other implant prostheses. Age, sex, diabetes, smoking, implant site distribution, reason for implant removal, and blade and root-form implants were categorized as predictive variables. The outcome variable was desire for re-implantation or use of other prosthetic methods after implant removal. A logistic regression model was created to identify patient factors that could predict the re-implantation of dental prostheses after implant removal. RESULTS: A total of 215 dental implants were removed from 143 patients. The most common reason for implant removal was peri-implantitis that was identified in 165 implants. After implant removal, re-implantation was performed in 98 implants (45.6%). Bivariate analyses showed that age, diabetes, implant type, and reason for implant removal were associated with the desire for re-implanted prostheses. The multiple regression model revealed that age, implant type, and reason for implant removal were associated with an increased desire for re-implant prostheses after implant removal. CONCLUSIONS: Re-implantation of prostheses after the removal of dental implants was desired by patients who were younger, had implants placed in the root form, and had implants removed due to prosthetic-related complications.

Longitudinal Findings of MRI and PET in West Syndrome with Subtle Focal Cortical Dysplasia.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Despite the development of neuroimaging, identification of focal cortical dysplasia remains challenging. The purpose of this study was to show the longitudinal changes of MR imaging and FDG-PET in patients with West syndrome and subtle focal cortical dysplasia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Among 52 consecutive patients with West syndrome, 4 were diagnosed with subtle focal cortical dysplasia on 3T MR imaging. MR imaging and PET findings were evaluated longitudinally at onset and at 12 and 24 months of age. RESULTS: At the onset of West syndrome, MR imaging demonstrated focal signal abnormalities of the subcortical white matter in 2 patients. In the other 2 patients, focal subcortical high-intensity signals became visible on follow-up T2WI as myelination progressed. PET at onset showed focal cortical hypometabolism in 3 patients, with 1 of these patients also having focal hypermetabolism and 1 having normal findings. On PET at 24 months, hypometabolism persisted in 2 patients and disappeared in 1, and hypermetabolism disappeared in 1. In 1 patient with normal MR imaging and PET findings at onset, focal hyperintensity and hypometabolism first appeared at 24 months of age. The findings on MR imaging and PET in these patients evolved differently with brain maturation and the clinical course. CONCLUSIONS: Subtle focal cortical dysplasia can be undetectable on MR imaging at the onset of West syndrome and is not always accompanied by hypometabolism or hypermetabolism on PET. Longitudinal MR imaging and PET studies may be useful for detecting such lesions. Even in West syndrome with a congenital structural abnormality, PET findings evolve differently with brain maturation and the clinical condition.

Factors related to dissociation between objective and subjective masticatory function in Japanese community-dwelling elderly adults.

Clinicians' evaluations of older adults sometimes reveal inconsistencies between objective and subjective dental status. This study investigated which factors contribute both to good objective masticatory function (OMF) and the poor subjective masticatory function (SMF) that often becomes a clinical issue. Study participants included 635 elderly community-dwelling Japanese adults who underwent a comprehensive geriatric health examination in 2012. SMF was assessed with a question from the Kihon Checklist on eating difficulties (poor or good). OMF was assessed by a colour-changing gum (poor or good). Also investigated were age, sex, depressive symptoms, instrumental activities of daily living (I-ADLs), number of people who joined the participant at dinner, grip strength, usual walking speed, number of remaining teeth, number of functional teeth and their occlusal force. The group with good OMF and good SMF, defined as group 1, and the group with good OMF but poor SMF, group 2, were compared. Logistic regression analyses confirmed that the number of remaining and functional teeth participants had was statistically unrelated to differences between OMF and SMF. Instead, differences were related to stronger depressive symptoms (OR = 1.67, CI = 1.14-2.44), less ability to conduct I-ADL activities (OR = 0.73, CI = 0.59-0.91), slower usual walking speeds (OR = 0.18, CI = 0.06-0.58) and less occlusal force (OR = 0.99, CI = 0.99-1.00). Depressive symptoms, I-ADLs, and physical function are shown to be significantly related to divergence between objective and subjective masticatory function in elderly Japanese. This suggests that dissociations between objective and subjective dental evaluations of elderly adults indicate need for assessment of their mental and physical function.

Frailty Severity and Dietary Variety in Japanese Older Persons: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Providing older person individuals with an appropriate intervention at the time of frailty onset is important to prevent the progression of the condition and the need for long-term care. However, the proper timing of starting nutritional and dietary interventions for frail older person subjects has not been fully elucidated. Therefore, in this cross-sectional study, we aimed to clarify the association between frailty and dietary variety among older persons in Japan. We surveyed sex, age, body height, body weight, body mass index, serum albumin level, dietary variety, and nutritional intake indexes in 747 community-dwelling older person individuals who underwent a comprehensive health examination in October 2014. Frailty was determined using the Kihon Checklist (25 questions). Kihon Checklist is widely used to assess frailty in Japan, and their physical, cognitive and social function was evaluated. After excluding those who did not complete the Kihon Checklist and those who required long-term care, frailty status was analyzed in 665 older person individuals. The numbers and percentages of frail, pre-frail and robust older persons were found to be 77 (11.6%), 182 (27.4%) and 406 (61.0%) respectively. Significant differences among robust, pre-frail, and frail subjects were observed in terms of age, serum albumin level, alcohol consumption, smoking, and history of diabetes. Among the nutrition-related indexes, only the dietary variety showed a significant difference. The results of ordinal logistic regression analysis showed a significant association between frailty and sex, age, smoking status, diabetes, and dietary variety score. Dietary variety was significantly associated with the progression of frailty among older persons in the community.

Relationship between Sensory Perception and Frailty in a Community-Dwelling Elderly Population.

BACKGROUND: Aging anorexia, defined as loss of appetite and/or reduced food intake, has been postulated as a risk factor for frailty. Impairments of taste and smell perception in elderly people can lead to reduced enjoyment of food and contribute to the anorexia of aging. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the relationship between frailty and taste and smell perception in elderly people living in urban areas. DESIGN: Data from the baseline evaluation of 768 residents aged ≥ 65 years who enrolled in a comprehensive geriatric health examination survey was analyzed. Fourteen out of 29-items of Appetite, Hunger, Sensory Perception questionnaire (AHSP), frailty, age, sex, BMI, chronic conditions and IADL were evaluated. AHSP was analyzed as the total score of 8 taste items (T) and 6 smell items (S). Frailty was diagnosed using a modified Fried's frailty criteria. RESULTS: The area under the receiver operator curves for detection of frailty demonstrated that T (0.715) had moderate accuracy, but S (0.657) had low accuracy. The cutoffs, sensitivity, specificity and Youden Index (YI) values for each perception were T: Cutoff 26.5 (YI: 0.350, sensitivity: 0.639, specificity: 0.711) and S: Cutoff 18.5 (YI: 0.246, sensitivity: 0.690, specificity: 0.556). Results from multiple logistic regression models, after adjusting for age, sex, IADL and chronic conditions showed that participants under the T cutoff were associated with exhaustion and those below the S cutoff were associated with slow walking speed. The adjusted logistic models for age, sex, IADL and chronic conditions showed significant association between T and frailty (OR 2.81, 95% CI 1.29-6.12), but not between S and frailty (OR 1.73, 95% CI 0.83-3.63). CONCLUSIONS: Taste and smell perception, particularly taste perception, were associated with a greater risk of frailty in community-dwelling elderly people. These results suggest that lower taste and smell perception may be an indicator of frailty in old age.

Interference Effect between ϕ and Λ(1520) Production Channels in the γp→K

The ϕ-Λ(1520) interference effect in the γp→K^{+}K^{-}p reaction has been measured for the first time in the energy range from 1.673 to 2.173 GeV. The relative phases between ϕ and Λ(1520) production amplitudes were obtained in the kinematic region where the two resonances overlap. The measurement results support strong constructive interference when K^{+}K^{-} pairs are observed at forward angles but destructive interference for proton emission at forward angles. Furthermore, the observed interference effect does not account for the sqrt[s]=2.1 GeV bump structure in forward differential cross sections for ϕ photoproduction. This fact suggests possible exotic structures such as a hidden-strangeness pentaquark state, a new Pomeron exchange, or rescattering processes via other hyperon states.

White Matter Abnormality Correlates with Developmental and Seizure Outcomes in West Syndrome of Unknown Etiology.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: West syndrome is an epileptic encephalopathy characterized by epileptic spasms, a specific pattern on electroencephalography of hypsarrhythmia, and developmental regression. Our aim was to assess white matter abnormalities in West syndrome of unknown etiology. We hypothesized that diffusion tensor imaging reveals white matter abnormalities, especially in patients with poor seizure and developmental outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We enrolled 23 patients with new-onset West syndrome of unknown etiology. DTI was performed at 12 and 24 months of age. Fractional anisotropy images were compared with those of controls by using tract-based spatial statistics. We compared axial, radial, and mean diffusivity between patients and controls in the fractional anisotropy skeleton. We determined correlations of these parameters with developmental quotient, electroencephalography, and seizure outcomes. We also compared DTI with hypometabolism on fluorodeoxyglucose positron-emission tomography. RESULTS: At 12 months of age, patients showed widespread fractional anisotropy reductions and higher radial diffusivity in the fractional anisotropy skeleton with a significant difference on tract-based spatial statistics. The developmental quotient at 12 months of age correlated positively with fractional anisotropy and negatively with radial and mean diffusivity. Patients with seizure and abnormal findings on electroencephalography after initial treatments had lower fractional anisotropy and higher radial diffusivity. At 24 months, although tract-based spatial statistics did not show significant differences between patients and controls, tract-based spatial statistics in the 10 patients with a developmental quotient of <70 had significant fractional anisotropy reduction. In patients with unilateral temporal lobe hypometabolism on PET, tract-based spatial statistics showed greater fractional anisotropy reduction in the temporal lobe ipsilateral to the side of PET hypometabolism. CONCLUSIONS: Diffuse abnormal findings on DTI at 12 months of age suggest delayed myelination as a key factor underlying abnormal findings on DTI. Conversely, asymmetric abnormal findings on DTI at 24 months may reflect underlying focal pathologies.

Guidelines from the Japanese Society of Echocardiography: Guidance for the management and maintenance of echocardiography equipment.

Echocardiography plays a pivotal role as an imaging modality in modern cardiology practice. Information derived from echocardiography is definitely helpful for patient care. The Japanese Society of Echocardiography has promoted echocardiography in routine clinical and research use. One of the missions of the Society is to provide information that is useful for high-quality examinations. To ensure this, we believe that equipment in good condition and a comfortable environment are important for both patient and examiner. Here, the Guideline Preparation Committee of the Japanese Society of Echocardiography has established brief guidance for the routine use of echocardiography equipment.

Ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block in upper limb surgery: outcomes and patient satisfaction.

We examined the outcomes and levels of patient satisfaction in 202 consecutive cases of ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block (SBPB) in upper limb surgery performed between September 2007 and March 2010. All blocks were performed by orthopaedic surgeons using ultrasound visualisation with a high-frequency linear probe. The probe was placed in the coronal-oblique plane in the supraclavicular fossa, and the puncture was 'in-plane' from lateral to medial. Most of the blocks were performed with 0.75% ropivacaine/1% lidocaine (1:1), with or without adrenaline in 1:200 000 dilution. In 201 patients (99.5%) the brachial plexus block permitted surgery without conversion to general anaesthesia. The mean procedure time for block was 3.9 min (2 to 12), the mean waiting time for surgery was 34.1 min (10 to 64), the mean surgical time was 75.2 min (6 to 232), and the mean duration of post-anaesthetic analgesia was 437 min (171 to 992). A total of 20 patients (10%) developed a transient Horner's syndrome. No nerve injury, pneumothorax, arterial puncture or systemic anaesthetic toxicity were recorded. Most patients (96.7%) were satisfied with ultrasound-guided SBPB. This study demonstrates the efficacy and safety of ultrasound-guided SBPB for orthopaedic surgery on the upper limb.

Impact of excision repair cross-complementing gene 1 (ERCC1) on the outcomes of patients with advanced gastric cancer: correlative study in Japan Clinical Oncology Group Trial JCOG9912.

BACKGROUND: Since the best chemotherapy regimen for each patient with advanced gastric cancer is uncertain, we aimed to identify molecular prognostic or predictive biomarkers from biopsy specimens in JCOG9912, a randomized phase III trial for advanced gastric cancer. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Endoscopic biopsy specimens from primary lesions were collected in 445 of 704 randomized patients in JCOG9912. We measured the mRNA expression of excision repair cross-complementing group 1 (ERCC1), thymidylate synthase, dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase, and five other genes, then, categorized them into low and high groups relative to the median, and examined whether gene expression was associated with efficacy end point. RESULTS: Multivariate analyses showed that high ERCC1 expression [HR 1.37; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.08-1.75; P = 0.010], performance status ≥ 1 (HR 1.45; 95% CI 1.13-1.86; P = 0.004), and number of metastatic sites ≥ 2 (HR 1.66; 95% CI 1.28-1.86; P < 0.001) were associated with a poor prognosis, and recurrent disease (versus unresectable; HR 0.75; 95% CI 0.56-1.00; P = 0.049) was associated with a favorable prognosis. None of these molecular factors were a predictive marker for choosing irinotecan plus cisplatin or 5-fluorouracil rather than S-1. CONCLUSION: These correlative analyses suggest that ERCC1 is an independent prognostic factor for overall survival in the first-line treatment of gastric cancer. CLINICAL TRIAL NUMBER: C000000062, www.umin.ac.jp.

Cryopreservation of the model alga Ectocarpus (Phaeophyceae).

The brown alga Ectocarpus has recently become the first fully sequenced multicellular alga and is an important biological model. Due to the large and growing number of Ectocarpus strains isolated and maintained by the research community, including increasing numbers of mutants, there is an urgent need for developing reliable, cost-effective long-term maintenance techniques. We report here that cryopreservation constitutes an attractive option in this respect, using a simple two-step protocol employing combined DMSO 10 percent (v/v) and sorbitol 9 percent (w/v) as cryoprotectants. This model organism appears to be remarkably robust and post-cryo recovery has been observed in all strains tested in this study. Cultures can be regenerated by the germination of cryopreserved zooids (spores), or the recovery of vegetative cells. In the latter case, dividing surviving cells may grow into the cell lumen of a neighbouring dead cell, eventually regenerating a phenotypically normal thalloidal structure.

Comparison of contrast effect on the cochlear perilymph after intratympanic and intravenous gadolinium injection.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 3D-FLAIR imaging 24 hours after intratympanic gadolinium injection (IT-method) or 4 hours after IV injection (IV-method) has been used to visualize the endolymphatic hydrops in Ménière disease. The purpose of this study was to compare the degree of perilymph enhancement with the 2 methods and the perilymph contrast-effect difference with the IV-method in both sides in patients with unilateral Ménière disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty-one patients with Ménière disease or sudden SNHL were included in this study. Thirty-nine patients who underwent the unilateral IT-method (Gd-DTPA was diluted 8-fold with saline) and 22 patients who underwent the IV-method (a double-dose of Gd-HP-DO3A; 0.4 mL/kg body weight [ie, 0.2 mmol/kg body weight]) at 3T were analyzed retrospectively. Regions of interest of the cochlear perilymph and the medulla oblongata were determined on each image, and the signal-intensity ratio between the 2 (CM ratio) was subsequently evaluated. The differences in the CM ratio between the 2 methods (Student t test) and the IV-method CM ratio between the affected and unaffected sides in patients with unilateral Ménière disease (paired t test) were evaluated. RESULTS: The IT-method CM ratio (2.98 ± 1.15, n = 39) was higher than the IV-method CM ratio (1.61 ± 0.60, n = 44; P < .001). In patients with unilateral Ménière disease who underwent the IV-method (n = 9), the CM ratio of the affected side (1.86 ± 0.74) was higher than that of the unaffected side (1.29 ± 0.31, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: In general, the IT-method provides higher perilymph enhancement than the IV-method. In the patients with unilateral Ménière disease who underwent the IV-method, the affected side had a higher contrast effect.

Search for CP violation in τ±â†’K(S)0π±ντ decays at Belle.

We report on a search for CP violation in τ(±)→K(S)(0)π(±)ν(τ) decays using a data sample of 699 fb(-1) collected by the Belle experiment at the KEKB electron-positron asymmetric-energy collider. The CP asymmetry is measured in four bins of the invariant mass of the K(S)(0)π(±) system and found to be compatible with zero with a precision of O(10(-3)) in each mass bin. Limits for the CP violation parameter Im(η(S)) are given at the 90% confidence level. These limits are |Im(η(S))| < 0.026 or better, depending on the parametrization used to describe the hadronic form factors, and improve upon previous limits by 1 order of magnitude.

Spin Seebeck insulator.

Thermoelectric generation is an essential function in future energy-saving technologies. However, it has so far been an exclusive feature of electric conductors, a situation which limits its application; conduction electrons are often problematic in the thermal design of devices. Here we report electric voltage generation from heat flowing in an insulator. We reveal that, despite the absence of conduction electrons, the magnetic insulator LaY(2)Fe(5)O(12) can convert a heat flow into a spin voltage. Attached Pt films can then transform this spin voltage into an electric voltage as a result of the inverse spin Hall effect. The experimental results require us to introduce a thermally activated interface spin exchange between LaY(2)Fe(5)O(12) and Pt. Our findings extend the range of potential materials for thermoelectric applications and provide a crucial piece of information for understanding the physics of the spin Seebeck effect.

Neutropenia as a prognostic factor in advanced gastric cancer patients undergoing second-line chemotherapy with weekly paclitaxel.

BACKGROUND: Neutropenia during chemotherapy has been reported to be a predictor of better survival in patients with several types of cancers, although there are no reports in pretreated patients. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed 242 patients with advanced gastric cancer (AGC) who received weekly paclitaxel (Taxol) as second-line chemotherapy. Background characteristics and neutropenia as time-varying covariates (TVCs) were analyzed as prognostic factors. RESULTS: Of the 242 patients, mild neutropenia (grades 1-2) occurred in 101 patients (41.7%) and severe neutropenia (grades 3-4) occurred in 63 patients (26.0%). The other 78 patients (32.2%) did not experience neutropenia. According to a multivariate Cox model with neutropenia as a TVC, hazard ratios of death were 0.61 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.43-0.85; P = 0.004] for patients with mild neutropenia and 0.61 (95% CI 0.41-0.88; P = 0.009) for those with severe neutropenia. Among the patients in landmark analysis (landmark of 2.5 months; median time to treatment failure of paclitaxel), mild and severe neutropenia remained significant prognostic factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results indicate that neutropenia during chemotherapy is associated with improved survival in patients with AGC who received weekly paclitaxel as second-line chemotherapy. Prospective trials are required to assess whether dosing adjustments based on neutropenia may improve chemotherapy efficacy.