Measurements of cosmic-ray proton and helium spectra from the BESS-Polar long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica.

The BESS-Polar Collaboration measured the energy spectra of cosmic-ray protons and helium during two long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica in December 2004 and December 2007, at substantially different levels of solar modulation. Proton and helium spectra probe the origin and propagation history of cosmic rays in the galaxy, and are essential to calculations of the expected spectra of cosmic-ray antiprotons, positrons, and electrons from interactions of primary cosmic-ray nuclei with the interstellar gas, and to calculations of atmospheric muons and neutrinos. We report absolute spectra at the top of the atmosphere for cosmic-ray protons in the kinetic energy range 0.2-160 GeV and helium nuclei 0.15-80 GeV/nucleon. The corresponding magnetic rigidity ranges are 0.6-160 GV for protons and 1.1-160 GV for helium. These spectra are compared to measurements from previous BESS flights and from ATIC-2, PAMELA, and AMS-02. We also report the ratio of the proton and helium fluxes from 1.1 GV to 160 GV and compare to ratios from PAMELA and AMS-02.

Search for antihelium with the BESS-Polar spectrometer.

In two long-duration balloon flights over Antarctica, the Balloon-borne Experiment with a Superconducting Spectrometer (BESS) collaboration has searched for antihelium in the cosmic radiation with the highest sensitivity reported. BESS-Polar I flew in 2004, observing for 8.5 days. BESS-Polar II flew in 2007-2008, observing for 24.5 days. No antihelium candidate was found in BESS-Polar I data among 8.4×10(6) |Z|=2 nuclei from 1.0 to 20 GV or in BESS-Polar II data among 4.0×10(7) |Z|=2 nuclei from 1.0 to 14 GV. Assuming antihelium to have the same spectral shape as helium, a 95% confidence upper limit to the possible abundance of antihelium relative to helium of 6.9×10(-8)} was determined combining all BESS data, including the two BESS-Polar flights. With no assumed antihelium spectrum and a weighted average of the lowest antihelium efficiencies for each flight, an upper limit of 1.0×10(-7) from 1.6 to 14 GV was determined for the combined BESS-Polar data. Under both antihelium spectral assumptions, these are the lowest limits obtained to date.

[Sequential changes in haemostatic activity during prolonged surgery and its alteration with continuous heparin infusion].

We measured molecular markers to study sequential changes in the hemostatic activity and its alteration by intraoperative continuous heparin infusion in patients, undergoing surgeries of 10 hours or longer for oral cancers. The heparin was infused continuously from the beginning of microsurgery until the end of anaesthesia to maintain an activated partial thromboplastin time between 50 to 70 seconds in the heparin group. In the control group, the concentrations of thrombin-antithrombin III complex (TAT), fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2) and D-dimer increased, and the soluble fibrin monomer complex (SFMC) became positive 2-6 hours after the induction of anesthesia. With continuous heparinization, the changes in measured molecular markers were clearly inhibited compared with the control group. The hemostatic activities increased progressively from the early stages of surgery, and the intraoperative continuous heparin infusion was effective in suppressing the hypercoagulable state during prolonged surgery.

Vaccine effectiveness for influenza in the elderly in welfare nursing homes during an influenza A (H3N2) epidemic.

Influenza vaccine effect on the occurrence and severity of influenza virus infection in a population residing in nursing homes for the elderly was studied as a cohort study during an influenza A (H3N2) epidemic in Japan. Of 22,462 individuals living in 301 welfare nursing homes, 10,739 voluntarily received inactivated, sub-unit trivalent influenza vaccine in a programme supported by the Osaka Prefectural Government. There were statistically significantly fewer cases of influenza, hospital admissions due to severe infection, and deaths due to influenza in the vaccinated cohort compared to the unvaccinated controls. No serious adverse reactions to vaccination were recorded. Thus influenza vaccination is effective for preventing influenza disease in persons aged 65 years and over, and should be an integral part of the care of this population residing in nursing homes.

Efficacy of influenza vaccine in the elderly: reduction in risks of mortality and morbidity during an influenza A (H3N2) epidemic for the elderly in nursing homes.

The effect of influenza vaccination on the occurrence and severity of influenza virus infection in elderly nursing home residents was studied during an influenza A (H3N2) epidemic in Japan. Of 22,462 individuals living in 301 welfare nursing homes, 10,739 received inactivated (subunit) influenza vaccine. Through the period November 1998 to March 1999, there were 950 cases of influenza infection diagnosed clinically, with virus isolation and/or serology. There were statistically significantly fewer cases of influenza, hospital admissions due to severe infection, and deaths due to influenza in the vaccinated cohort compared with the unvaccinated controls. No serious adverse reactions to vaccination were recorded. Thus influenza vaccination is safe and effective in this population, and should be an integral part of the routine care of persons aged 65 years and over residing in nursing homes.

Clinical evaluation of inferior alveolar nerve block by injection into the pterygomandibular space anterior to the mandibular foramen.

The conventional inferior alveolar nerve block (conventional technique) has potential risks of neural and vascular injuries. We studied a method of inferior alveolar nerve block by injecting a local anesthetic solution into the pterygomandibular space anterior to the mandibular foramen (anterior technique) with the purpose of avoiding such complications. The insertion angle of the anterior technique and the estimation of anesthesia in the anterior technique were examined. The predicted insertion angle measured on computed tomographic images was 60.1 +/- 7.1 degrees from the median, with the syringe end lying on the contralateral mandibular first molar, and the insertion depth was approximately 10 mm. We applied the anterior technique to 100 patients for mandibular molar extraction and assessed the anesthetic effects. A success rate of 74% was obtained. This is similar to that reported for the conventional technique but without the accompanying risks for inferior alveolar neural and vascular complications.

Inferior alveolar nerve block by injection into the pterygomandibular space anterior to the mandibular foramen: radiographic study of local anesthetic spread in the pterygomandibular space.

We studied the spread of local anesthetic solution in the inferior alveolar nerve block by the injection of local anesthetic solution into the pterygomandibular space anterior to the mandibular foramen (anterior technique). Seventeen volunteers were injected with 1.8 mL of a mixture containing lidocaine and contrast medium utilizing the anterior technique. The course of spread was traced by fluoroscopy in the sagittal plane, and the distribution area was evaluated by lateral cephalograms and horizontal computed tomography. The results indicate that the contrast medium mixture spreads rapidly in the pterygomandibular space to the inferior alveolar nerve in the subjects who exhibited inferior alveolar nerve block effect. We concluded that the anesthetic effect due to the anterior technique was produced by the rapid distribution of anesthetic solution in the pterygomandibular space toward the mandibular foramen, and individual differences in the time of onset of analgesia may be due to differences in the histologic perineural tissues.

Blood coagulation activity during microsurgery.

The authors investigated blood coagulation activity in patients who underwent microsurgery. Hemostatic parameters were measured in 9 patients (10 operations) who were undergoing free tissue transfers. These parameters included prothrombin time (PT), activated partial thromboplastin time (APTT), fibrinopeptide A (FPA), prothrombin fragment 1 + 2 (F1 + 2), and thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT). The flap totally necrosed owing to vasospasm in 1 patient with osteomyelitis of the heel, and the FPA, F1 + 2, and TAT values significantly increased. Reexploration was required because of flap cyanosis in 1 patient with a hemangioma on the wrist, and the F1 + 2 and TAT values increased during the salvage procedure. These molecular markers could be important in indicating hypercoagulable state sensitivity, and they serve as a warning of possible vascular compromise to a surgeon.

[Intracystic infusion therapy of minocycline hydrochloride for benign hepatic cysts].

This paper describes ultrasonically-guided infusion of minocycline hydrochloride solution (MINO infusion therapy) in benign nonparasitic cysts of the liver. MINO infusion therapy was performed in 7 large hepatic cysts and successful results were obtained in 6 lesions. The infusion procedure in the initial 4 hepatic cysts a 7 Fr catheter was placed into the cyst and MINO solution was left in the cyst according to the procedure of ethanol infusion therapy. In the most recent 2 cases the cyst was punctured with a 21G needle, washed with physiologic saline and then infused MINO solution without placement of an indwelling drainage tube. This modified procedure is simple and safe and also yields a good therapeutic result. MINO infusion therapy for benign hepatic cyst is very useful and the modified procedure can be performed safely in elderly patients and in patients with several complications.

Disseminated intravascular coagulation in a patient with acute myeloid leukemia. Ultrastructural evidence of hypercoagulation in bone marrow.

The bone marrow of a 53-year-old woman with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with disseminated intravascular coagulation was investigated by transmission electron microscopy. The patient had a preceding granulocytic sarcoma, and subclinical disseminated intravascular coagulation occurred concomitantly with the development of AML. Ultrastructural findings of the bone marrow at the onset of AML revealed the following: (1) The cytoplasm of the leukemic cells showed frequent fragmentation, resulting in the formation of abundant cytoplasmic fragments. (2) These cytoplasmic fragments were surrounded by abundant fibrin fibers, forming the fibrin-cytoplasmic fragment complex (FCF complex). (3) Slight fibrin deposition was seen around the leukemic cells and in the intercellular space of the bone marrow. Fibrin deposition in the bone marrow is thought to represent morphologic evidence of disseminated intravascular coagulation. The damage on the leukemic cell surface due to the cytoplasmic fragmentation seems to be closely related to the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation.

[Arteriosclerosis obliterans that was improved by LDL apheresis].

We reported here a case of arteriosclerosis obliterans (ASO) in which clinical symptoms and signs were improved after repeated LDL apheresis. The patient was a 70-year-old man who was diagnosed as having ASO in 1989. Although drug treatment started for the arterial disease, such clinical manifestations as rubor and intermittent claudication were gradually worsening. In 1991, the patient was also found to have diabetes mellitus (DM), leading to admission for its treatment. Insulin therapy was initially required, but it finally became possible to maintain a good control of DM with diet therapy alone. Since hypercholesterolemia (402 mg/dl) was noted on admission, we began to give the patient pravastatin. In response to the medication, serum total cholesterol (TC) levels declined to 270 mg/dl, but no further improvement was obtained. We therefore decided to perform LDL apheresis on the patient, hoping the improvement of both ASO and hypercholesterolemia. After six series of LDL apheresis were performed during 4 weeks, ASO-related signs and symptoms (i. e., intermittent claudication) were remarkably improved, and serum TC levels were decreased below 200 mg/dl. Our experience in the present case suggested that this procedure would be useful as an effective choice of treatment for ASO, but further studies as to the indication and protocol of this therapeutic maneuver will be clearly needed.

Evidence that gastric antisecretory action of lipopolysaccharide is not due to a toxic effect on gastric parietal cells.

We have recently found that bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or endotoxin at minute doses inhibits the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin in rats. The present study was performed to determine whether this antisecretory action of LPS was a reversible biological response or a result of the destruction of gastric parietal cells by endotoxin. The intraperitoneal injection of LPS into pylorus-ligated rats resulted in a dose-related (40-4000 ng/kg) decrease in gastric acid secretion, with maximal inhibition being observed at a dose of 4000 ng/kg. The stomach then was examined both macroscopically and microscopically for the presence or absence of mucosal lesions or damaged gastric parietal cells. No morphological changes in the gastric mucosal structure including parietal cells were observed even in the rats injected with 4000 ng/kg of LPS. Next, basal gastric acid output was compared in the rats that had received LPS (4000 ng/kg, intraperitoneal) or saline alone 24 hr before. There was no significant difference in gastric acid secretion between the saline- and LPS-pretreated groups, indicating that the secretory capacity of gastric parietal cells returned to the control level at 24 hr after the injection of a maximal antisecretory dose of LPS. These results clearly suggest that the LPS-induced inhibition of gastric secretion results not from its toxic or destructive effect on the gastric secretory mechanism but from its reversible biological effect on gastric physiology.

The gastric antisecretory action of lipopolysaccharide is blocked by indomethacin.

We have recently found that bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at minute doses inhibits the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin in rats. The present study was performed to examine the mechanism by which LPS exerts its antisecretory action. The i.p. injection of LPS resulted in a dose-dependent (40-4000 ng/kg) decrease in gastric acid output in pylorus-ligated rats. However, preinjection of indomethacin (2-10 mg/kg s.c.), an inhibitor of prostaglandin biosynthesis, prevented the LPS-induced inhibition of gastric secretion in a dose-related manner, while these concentrations of indomethacin by themselves did not affect gastric acid output. These results suggest that LPS requires an intact prostaglandin system to exhibit its inhibitory action on gastric secretion.

Gastric antisecretory and antiulcer actions of interleukin-1. Evidence for the presence of an "immune-brain-gut" axis.

Increasing evidence suggests that interleukin-1 (IL-1), a cytokine mainly produced by activated monocytes/macrophages, has various biological actions in addition to its immunological activities. In the present study, we examined the effect of IL-1 on gastric secretion and gastric ulcer formation in rats. Gastric secretion was assessed in conscious pylorus-ligated rats weighing approximately 200 g. The peripheral injection of IL-1 resulted in a dose-related inhibition of gastric acid output. The central injection of IL-1 similarly reduced gastric acid secretion at 100 times smaller doses than peripherally injected IL-1, suggesting that this gastric antisecretory action of IL-1 is mediated by the central nervous system. In addition, it was found that this inhibitory effect of IL-1, either peripherally or centrally administered, was still evident at 8 h after injection, indicating the long-lasting property of this IL-1 action. On the basis of these antisecretory actions of IL-1, we determined whether or not pretreatment with IL-1 would prevent experimentally induced gastric ulcer formation. As expected, the central administration of IL-1 dose-dependently suppressed the development of gastric mucosal lesions induced by water-immersion restraint stress, a well-established ulcerogenic procedure. These results clearly demonstrated that IL-1 has potent antisecretory and antiulcer effects that are mediated by the central nervous system. Moreover, these findings suggest that there may exist an "immune-brain-gut" axis, which is involved in the regulation of gastric secretion and mucosal homeostasis, especially under certain pathophysiological conditions that activate the immune system to release various cytokines including IL-1.

Characterization of secretory responses in exocrine pancreas of genetically obese Zucker rats.

Secretory responses of the exocrine pancreas in the obese Zucker rat with an inherited genetic disorder were compared with those in lean control rats. Amylase concentration in pancreatic acinar cells of obese rats was reduced to 62% of the control value, whereas trypsinogen concentration was increased to 269%. The activity ratio of amylase to trypsinogen in the pancreatic acini of obese rats was about one-fourth of that in controls. The activity ratio of amylase to trypsinogen in pancreatic juice released by stimulation with varying concentrations of CCK8 or carbachol in the obese rats was also reduced to one-fourth of that in control rats. The concentration of the secretagogs inducing half-maximal secretory responses (EC50) in the obese rats was almost identical to that in the controls. The downward shift of the dose-response relation for these secretagogs in the acini of obese rats was analogous to that in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, cold-exposed rats, or lactating rats, as demonstrated previously. The present results may be explained by the changes in enzyme content and secretory responses found in pancreatic acini of obese Zucker rats, which would be attributable mainly to congenital disturbance in "insulo-acinar axis."

Central basic fibroblast growth factor inhibits gastric ulcer formation in rats.

We have recently reported that basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) acts in the brain to inhibit the secretion of gastric acid and pepsin, two major aggressive factors in the pathogenesis of gastric ulcer formation. In the present study, we determined whether or not bFGF has an anti-ulcer action via the central nervous system, using male Wistar rats. The intracisternal injection of bFGF dose-dependently (0.1-1.0 microgram(s)/rat) inhibited the severity of gastric ulcers induced by water-immersion restraint stress or central thyrotropin-releasing hormone. The same doses of peripherally injected bFGF failed to protect the gastric mucosa from these ulcerogenic procedures. These results suggest for the first time that bFGF has a mucosal protective effect through a mechanism involving the central nervous system. It is speculated that this anti-ulcer action of bFGF is, at least in part, dependent upon its gastric antisecretory effect.

Prevention by interleukin-1 of intracisternally injected thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH)-induced gastric mucosal lesions in rats.

We have recently found that interleukin-1 (IL-1) acts in the central nervous system to potently inhibit gastric acid and pepsin secretion in rats. In the present study, we examined the effects of IL-1 on the development of gastric mucosal lesions induced by intracisternal (i.c.) thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH), a neuropeptide known to centrally stimulate gastric secretion. Pretreatment with i.c. injected IL-1 (10 ng/rat) significantly suppressed the severity of TRH-induced gastric erosions. On the other hand, the same dose of i.c. injected IL-1 failed to exert a cytoprotective action for the gastric mucosa against orally administered absolute ethanol. These results suggest that IL-1 has an anti-ulcer effect mainly through its inhibitory action on gastric secretion.

Central nervous system action of basic fibroblast growth factor: inhibition of gastric acid and pepsin secretion.

To examine the effects of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) on gastric secretion, the present study was carried out using pylorus-ligated rats. Intracisternally injected bFGF inhibited the secretion of both gastric acid and pepsin, and this gastric antisecretory action of bFGF was a dose-related response. On the other hand, the intraperitoneal injection of bFGF did not change gastric secretion. These results strongly suggested for the first time that bFGF, a growth factor that promotes the proliferation of various cell types, might also be a chemical messenger that is involved in the central regulation of gastric secretion. This biological action of bFGF may be considered as a novel nonmitogenic activity of this growth factor.