Detection of Interfering Ions Using Ion Flux Phenomena in Flow-Through Cl-ISEs with Ion Exchange Membranes.

Ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) are among the most successful electrochemical sensors used in various applications because of their ability to measure electrolyte concentrations in liquids easily. It is common practice to suppress ion fluxes through the ion-sensitive membranes in ISEs because such fluxes worsen the lower limit of detection. In this study, we propose a method to detect interfering ions using this ion flux phenomenon. As a proof of principle, a flow-type Cl-ISE based on an ion exchange membrane loaded with the target ion chloride was used to acquire transient potential profiles during standstill after the introduction of liquids containing various ion species. When the target ion of the ion-sensitive membrane was measured, there was almost no change in potential over time. In contrast, when hydrophilic interfering ions were measured, the potential gradually decreased, and when hydrophobic interfering ions were measured, the potential gradually increased. The direction and intensity of these changes over time depended on the ion species and concentrations. The main reason for these potential changes is presumed to be the change in the local ionic composition of the sample near the sensing membrane due to ion exchange between the sample and membrane. This phenomenon could not be observed in a hydrophobic ion exchanger membrane doped with a quaternary ammonium salt and was characteristically observable using hydrophilic ion exchange membranes with a high charge density and a high ion diffusion rate. Finally, using a high-throughput flow-type system, we demonstrated the detection of interfering ions in solutions containing multiple ion species by using the ion flux phenomenon.

Efficacy and safety of docetaxel and prednisolone for castration-resistant prostate cancer: a multi-institutional retrospective study in Japan.

OBJECTIVE: Although some new drugs for castration-resistant prostate cancer are available, docetaxel still plays an important role in castration-resistant prostate cancer treatment. In this study, we evaluated the efficacy and safety of docetaxel and prednisolone in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer. METHODS: We conducted a retrospective chart review of castration-resistant prostate cancer patients who received docetaxel and prednisolone at 14 hospitals in the Sapporo Medical University Urologic Oncology Consortium from August 2004 to December 2011. RESULTS: A total of 140 patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer received docetaxel and prednisolone (median age, 73.8 years; median prostate specific antigen, 54.7 ng/ml). A median of six cycles (range: 1-43) of docetaxel and prednisolone was administered per patient. Median follow-up was 13.7 months. Median overall survival was 22.0 months. The log-rank test revealed that prostate specific antigen before docetaxel and prednisolone (<50 ng/ml) and the prostate specific antigen reduction rate (≥30%) were associated with overall survival (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001, respectively). Eighty patients (57.1%) achieved a prostate specific antigen reduction rate of over 30%. All except two (97.5%) reached 30% prostate specific antigen reduction within five cycles of docetaxel and prednisolone. There were two (1.4%) treatment-related deaths due to adverse events, which were interstitial lung disease, and febrile neutropenia and bacterial pneumonia. Interstitial lung disease occurred in 14 (10.0%) patients within a median of 2.5 cycles of docetaxel and prednisolone. Grade 5 interstitial lung disease was seen after three cycles of docetaxel and prednisolone. CONCLUSIONS: If a prostate specific antigen reduction rate of over 30% is not obtained within five cycles of docetaxel and prednisolone, other treatment options should be considered. Although most patients safely received docetaxel and prednisolone, we must always keep interstitial lung disease in mind as a possible lethal adverse event.

Clinical significance of definite muscle layer in TUR specimen for evaluating progression rate in T1G3 bladder cancer: multicenter retrospective study by the Sapporo Medical University Urologic Oncology Consortium (SUOC).

PURPOSE: To evaluate the clinical impact on progression and recurrence according to presence and absence of a muscle layer, we conducted a retrospective, multicenter study. METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 247 patients who received transurethral resection (TUR) of bladder tumors and were pathologically diagnosed as having T1G3 bladder cancer from 1990 to 2009. We ruled out 8 patients who received immediate cystectomy and analyzed the remaining 239 T1G3 patients. Patients who had invasion to the prostatic urethra and patients who underwent a second TUR were not included. RESULTS: TUR specimens from 194 patients were confirmed to have a definite muscle layer and those from 45 did not. The median follow-up period was 53 months, ranging from 3 to 181 months. The progression-free survival rates at 5 years after TUR were 91.1 % for patients who had a muscle layer in their specimen and 77.3 % for those who did not (p = 0.005, log-rank test). Multivariate analysis indicated that the absence of a muscle layer was a risk factor for progression (p = 0.006, Cox proportional hazards analysis). CONCLUSIONS: Patients without a muscle layer in the specimen had high risk for progression. The initial TUR must have a muscle layer in the specimen. Variations of progression rates in previous studies might be due to different proportions of patients who had a muscle layer in TUR specimens.

[Case of infected renal cyst in polycystic kidney disease].

A 56-year-old woman with polycystic kidney disease (PKD) presented with high fever and left back pain. Abdominal computed tomography (CT) scan showed multiple renal cysts, left hydronephrosis and a left ureteral stone. Her condition could not be managed with antibiotic therapy and indwelling left ureteral stent. Infected of left renal cysts was suspected, we performed diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Diffusion-weighted MRI showed higher signal intensity in one renal cyst than in other renal cysts. CT-guided percutaneous puncture of an infected cyst was performed. Her symptoms and fever resolved following the procedure. Identification of an infected renal cyst in PKD is often difficult on either ultrasonography or CT. Diffusion-weighted MRI allowed exact localization of the infected cyst among many cysts in PKD.

Ion-selective electrodes with unusual response functions: simultaneous formation of ionophore-primary ion complexes with different stoichiometries.

It is well known that the selectivity of an ion-selective electrode (ISE) depends on the stoichiometry of the complexes between its ionophore and the target and interfering ions. It is all the more surprising that the possibility for the simultaneous occurrence of multiple target ion complexes with different complex stoichiometries was mostly ignored in the past. Here, we report on the simultaneous formation of 1:1 and 1:2 complexes of a fluorophilic crown ether in fluorous ISE membranes and how this results in what looks like super-Nernstian responses. These increased response slopes are not caused by mass transfer limitations and can be readily explained with a phase boundary model, a finding that is supported by experimentally determined complex formation constants and excellent fits of response curves. Not only Cs(+) but also the smaller ions Li(+), Na(+), K(+), and NH(4)(+) form 1:1 and 1:2 complexes with the fluorophilic crown ether, with cumulative formation constants of up to 10(15.0) and 10(21.0) for of the 1:1 and 1:2 complexes, respectively. Super-Nernstian responses of the type observed with these electrodes are probably not particularly rare but have lacked in the past an adequate discussion in the literature, remaining ignored or misinterpreted. Preliminary calculations also predict sub-Nernstian responses and potential dips of a similar origin. The proper understanding of such phenomena will facilitate the development of new ISEs based on ionophores that form complexes of higher stoichiometries.

Soft Mango Firmness Assessment Based on Rayleigh Waves Generated by a Laser-Induced Plasma Shock Wave Technique.

Many methods based on acoustic vibration characteristics have been studied to indirectly assess fruit ripeness via fruit firmness. Among these, the frequency of the 0S2 vibration mode measured on the equator has been examined, but soft-flesh fruit do not show the 0S2 vibration mode. In this study, a Rayleigh wave is generated on a soft mango fruit using the impulse excitation force generated by a laser-induced plasma shock wave technique. Then, the flesh firmness of mangoes is assessed in a non-contact and non-destructive manner by observing the Rayleigh wave propagation velocity because it is correlated with the firmness (shear elasticity), density, and Poisson's ratio of an object. If the changes in the density and Poisson's ratio are small enough to be ignored during storage, then the Rayleigh wave propagation velocity is strongly correlated to fruit firmness. Here, we measure the Rayleigh wave propagation velocity and investigate the effect of storage time. Specifically, we investigate the changes in firmness caused by ripening. The Rayleigh wave propagation velocity on the equator of Kent mangoes tended to decrease by over 4% in 96 h. The Rayleigh wave measured on two different lines propagated independent distance and showed a different change rate of propagation velocity during 96-h storage. Furthermore, we consider the reliability of our method by investigating the interaction of a mango seed on the Rayleigh wave propagation velocity.

Molten salts bearing anion receptor.

A series of organoboron molten salts prepared by hydroboration of allyl imidazolium type molten salts with various hydroborating reagents such as monobromoborane dimethyl sulfide complex, 9-borabicyclo[3.3.1]nonane (9-BBN) and mesitylborane, and subsequent anion exchange reaction exhibited selective cation transporting property with ionic conductivity of 7.79 x 10(-5) - 6.25 x 10(-6) S cm(-1) at 323 K.

Measuring quality of sleep and autonomic nervous function in healthy Japanese women.

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationship between quality of sleep and autonomic nervous functioning in healthy adult Japanese women using three measures, namely, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for subjective assessment of sleep quality, actigraphy for objective assessment of sleep, and heart rate variability using high frequency and low frequency domains. Participants were 31 healthy women in their 20s to 40s who met the selection criteria, including having normal monthly menstrual periods. Participants were categorized as good or poor sleepers according to their PSQI score. Median correlation coefficients of activity count and high frequency were -0.62 (range -0.43 to -0.84) for good sleepers and -0.45 (range 0.003 to -0.64) for poor sleepers. Good sleepers showed a significantly higher correlation of activity count and high frequency (Z=-2.11, P<0.05). Median correlation coefficients of activity count and low frequency/high frequency were 0.54 (range 0.29-0.73) for good sleepers and 0.41 (range 0.11-0.63) for poor sleepers. The PSQI, actigraphy data, and heart rate variability results showed positive correlations between sleep time as measured by PSQI and duration of inactivity as measured by actigraphy (r=0.446, P<0.05) and sleep time as measured by actigraphy (r=0.377, P<0.05), and a negative correlation between sleep time as measured by PSQI and the correlation coefficients of activity count and high frequency (r=-0.460, P<0.01). These results support the finding that sleep-wake rhythms can be monitored efficiently with actigraphy, providing accurate data that can support the diagnosis of sleeping disorders. Furthermore, actigraphy data were associated with heart rate variability and PSQI findings, but only in subjects who were poor sleepers. Actigraphy is an accurate, efficient, rapid, and inexpensive test for determining objective and subjective sleeping problems, and can also be used in clinical tests for sleep assessment.

Light-scattering study of polyelectrolyte complex formation between anionic and cationic nanogels in an aqueous salt-free system.

We studied complex formation in an aqueous salt-free system (pH approximately 3 and at 25 degrees C) between nanogel particles having opposite charges. Anionic gel (AG) and cationic gel (CG) particles consist of lightly cross-linked N-isopropylacrylamide (NIPA) copolymers with 2-acrylamido-2-methylpropane sulfonic acid and with 1-vinylimidazole, respectively. The number of charges per particle was -4490 for AG and +20 300 for CG, as estimated from their molar masses (3.33 MD for AG and 11.7 MD for CG) by static light scattering (SLS) and their charge densities (1.35 mmol/g for AG and 1.74 mmol/g for CG) by potentiometric titration. The complexes were formed through the addition of AG to CG and vice versa using a turbidimetric titration technique. At the endpoint of the titration, the aggregate formed was a complex based upon stoichiometric charge neutralization: CG(n)()(+) + xAG(m)()(-) --> CG(n)()(+) (AG(m)()(-))(x)() where x = (n)()/(m)(). At different stages of the titration before the endpoint, the resulting complexes were examined in detail using dynamic light scattering, SLS, and electrophoretic light scattering (ELS). The main results are summarized as follows: (i) When AG with a hydrodynamic radius (R(h)) of 119 nm is added to CG (R(h) approximately 156 nm), the (R(h)) of the complex size decreases from 156 to 80 nm. (ii) In contrast to this (R(h)) change, the molar mass increases from 11.7 MD to 24 MD with increasing amounts of added AG. (iii) Upon addition of CG to AG, the complex formed has the same size ((R(h)) approximately 80 nm) and the same molar mass (55 +/- 2.5 MD) until 55 +/- 5% of AG has been consumed in the complexation. To understand these results, we used the following two models: the random model (RM), in which the added AG particles uniformly bind to all of the CG particles in the system via a strong electrostatic attraction, and the all-or-none model (AONM), in which part of the AG particles in the system preferably bind to the added CG particles to neutralize their electric charges but the other AG particles are uncomplexed and remain in the system. The complex formations upon addition of AG to CG and CG to AG were elucidated in terms of RM and AONM, respectively.

Complications of Stamey needle suspension for female stress urinary incontinence.

INTRODUCTION: The Stamey bladder neck suspension for stress urinary incontinence in females is thought to be an excellent procedure. However, recent studies revealed that complications of this procedure have not been negligible. In this retrospective study, complications of the Stamey needle bladder neck suspension were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The Stamey procedure was performed either alone or in combination with anterior colporrhaphy for 86 female patients with stress urinary incontinence between 1989 and 1999. The mean follow-up period was 37.6 months and the mean age was 59.1 years. We studied the complications postoperatively pointed out by patients' complaint and image examination. RESULTS: The overall incidence of complications was 37.2%. Voiding difficulties and lower abdominal pain were present in 15 cases, respectively. We experienced 2 unusual cases in whom suspensory stitches had to be removed due to abdominal pain. CONCLUSIONS: Although the Stamey bladder neck suspension is thought to be an excellent procedure for stress urinary incontinence, surgeons should beware of possible complications and be alert of the symptoms, such as abdominal pain and bladder irritation.

Testicular metastasis from squamous cell carcinoma of the lung.

We present a case of squamous cell carcinoma of the testis that metastasized from lung cancer. The patient, who had received left pneumonectomy 2 years earlier for squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the lung, developed pulmonary metastasis, which was treated with chemotherapy. Although the recurrence regressed after treatment, the testicular tumor progressed gradually. Left radical orchiectomy was performed. Pathological examination revealed metastatic SCC. Testicular metastasis from lung cancer is a very rare disease.