An experimental setup for creating and imaging 4He2 * excimer cluster tracers in superfluid helium-4 via neutron-3He absorption reaction.

For the purpose of future visualization of the flow field in superfluid helium-4, clusters of the triplet state excimer 4He2 * are generated along the micro-scale recoil tracks of the neutron-absorption reaction n + 3He → 3T + p. This reaction is induced by neutron irradiation of the 3He fraction contained in natural isotopic abundance liquid helium with neutron beams either from the Japan Proton Accelerator Research Complex, Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility (JPARC)/Materials and Life Science Experimental Facility or from the Kyoto University Institute for Integrated Radiation and Nuclear Science. These 4He2 * clusters are expected to be ideal tracers of the normal-fluid component in superfluid helium with several advantageous properties. Evidence of the excimer generation is inferred by detection of laser induced fluorescence emitted from the 4He2 * clusters excited by a purpose-built short pulse gain-switched titanium:sapphire (Ti:sa) laser operating at a wavelength of 905 nm. The setup and performance characteristics of the laser system including the Ti:sa and two continuous wave re-pumping lasers are described. Detection at the fluorescence wavelength of 640 nm is performed by using optical bandpass filtered photomultiplier tubes (PMT). Electrical noise in the PMT acquisition traces could successfully be suppressed by post-processing with a simple algorithm. Despite other laser-related backgrounds, the excimer was clearly identified by its fluorescence decay characteristics. Production of the excimer was found to be proportional to the neutron flux, adjusted via insertion of different collimators into the neutron beam. These observations suggest that the apparatus we constructed does function in the expected manner and, therefore, has the potential for groundbreaking turbulence research with superfluid helium.

Non-magnetic flexible heaters for spin-exchange optical pumping of 3He and other applications.

Spin polarized 3He gas is currently widely used in various scientific fields and in medical diagnosis applications. The spin polarization of 3He nuclei can be achieved by spin-exchange optical pumping (SEOP). In SEOP, the 3He gas is enclosed in a glass cell together with alkali metals and is then heated to maintain the alkali metal vapor pressures at the appropriate levels. However, polarized 3He gas is highly sensitive to any inhomogeneity in its magnetic field, and any small field gradients caused by the heaters may cause degradation of the 3He polarization. To overcome this conflict between the heating process and the magnetic field, we have developed electrical heaters that essentially cause no magnetic fields. These heaters are thin and are flexible enough to be bent to within a radius of a few centimeters. These carefully designed heater elements and a double layer structure effectively eliminate magnetic field generation. The heaters were originally developed for SEOP applications, but can also be applied to other processes that need to avoid unwanted magnetic fields.

Oxidative stress and antibody levels to periodontal bacteria in adults: the Nagasaki Islands study.

OBJECTIVE: Periodontitis is a chronic inflammatory disease of the tissues supporting the teeth and is caused by subgingival plaque. Systemic increases in reactive oxygen species are involved in pathogenesis of periodontitis. This study addressed the relationship between levels of serum oxidative stress and antibodies against putative periodontopathic bacteria and their association with periodontal conditions, in a community-based study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Serum samples were measured for reactive oxygen metabolite (ROM) levels and anti-oxidant capacity. The serum levels of immunoglobulin G (IgG) antibodies to Porphyromonas gingivalis (Pg), Prevotella intermedia (Pi), Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans (Aa), and Eikenella corrodens (Ec) were determined by ELISA. RESULTS: The participants with greater clinical attachment loss had higher serum ROM levels and IgG antibody titers to Pg. Serum ROM levels were positively correlated with antibody titers to Pg, Pi, and Ec. When the participants with greater probing pocket depth and clinical attachment loss were used as the dependent variables, high ROM levels showed a statistically significant associations in multivariate logistic analyses; the adjusted odds ratios were 2.9 (95% confidence interval = 1.0-8.5) and 6.0 (95% confidence interval = 2.0-17.6), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that an increased oxidative stress may be detrimental to periodontitis in Japanese community-dwelling adults.

Porphyromonas gingivalis and Escherichia coli lipopolysaccharide causes resistin release from neutrophils.

OBJECTIVES: It was reported that periodontitis is associated with increased serum resistin levels. We examined whether there was a difference between the release of resistin from neutrophils incubated lipopolysaccharide (LPS) from Porphyromonas gingivalis and with LPS from Escherichia coli, and which cell-surface receptors and intracellular kinases were involved in this process. METHODS: Several concentrations of P. gingivalis-LPS and E. coli-LPS were added to neutrophils, supernatant from cultured neutrophils was collected, and resistin levels were measured by ELISA. To examine signaling pathways, neutrophils were pretreated with monoclonal antibodies against CD14, CD18, TLR2, and TLR4, and specific inhibitors of PI3K and MAPKs. RESULTS: Resistin release from neutrophils was induced both by P. gingivalis-LPS and E. coli-LPS, but resistin release by P. gingivalis-LPS was weaker than E. coli-LPS in low concentrations. Resistin release was decreased by pretreatment with monoclonal antibodies against CD14, CD18, and TLR4, but not by TLR2. Moreover, it was decreased by inhibitors of PI3K, JNK, and p38 MAPK, but not by ERK1/2. CONCLUSIONS: Resistin release from neutrophils was induced by both P. gingivalis-LPS and E. coli-LPS. This was decreased by CD14, CD18, and TLR4 and was dependent on PI3K, JNK, and p38 MAPK, but not on ERK1/2 in intracellular pathways of neutrophils.

Pediatrician-recommended use of sports drinks and dental caries in 3-year-old children.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether children advised by a pediatrician to take sports drinks consume them more frequently than do other children and whether these children have an increased risk of dental caries. METHODS: The subjects were 522 mother/child pairs who attended a dental checkup for 3-year-olds at one of ten community health centers in Nagasaki, Japan. Pearson's chi-square test was used to compare the prevalence of children with or without dental caries according to child-related variables. Multiple logistic regression was performed to assess the relationship between the presence of dental caries and child-related variables taken from a dental checkup and a questionnaire. RESULTS: A high frequency of sports drink consumption was strongly associated with dental caries in children. The highest proportion of mothers answered that they were advised by a pediatrician to give sports drinks to their children. However, these children consumed sports drinks significantly less frequently than did children who did so for reasons other than pediatrician recommendations. In addition, these children were significantly less likely to have dental caries than were children who consumed sports drinks for otherreasons. CONCLUSIONS: Pediatrician-recommended consumption of sports drinks does not lead to more frequent consumption of these beverages or to dental caries in 3-year-old children.

The relationship between periodontal condition and serum levels of resistin and adiponectin in elderly Japanese.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Diabetes and periodontitis are associated with each other. Adipokines, specifically adiponectin and resistin, are secreted from adipocytes and are thought to cause insulin resistance in rodents. Additionally, adiponectin and resistin may play a role in inflammation and immune responses. The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship between serum levels of adipokines and periodontal conditions in elderly Japanese people with and without periodontitis. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A total of 158 Japanese men and women (76 years old) with or without periodontitis were selected for the study. Serum adiponectin, resistin, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) concentrations were compared between subjects with and without periodontitis. RESULTS: Serum resistin levels and total leukocyte counts in subjects with periodontitis were higher than in control subjects. No significant differences were observed in adiponectin, IL-6 and TNF-alpha levels between subjects with and without periodontitis. Logistic regression analysis showed that periodontitis with at least one tooth that displayed a probing pocket depth of > or =6 mm was significantly associated with higher serum resistin levels (odds ratio, 2.0; 95% confidence interval, 1.0-4.0). When excluding periodontitis subjects with < or =10% of bleeding on probing and excluding control subjects with >10% bleeding on probing, differences between groups and odds ratio increased. Serum adiponectin tended to decrease in patients with periodontitis, albeit not significantly. CONCLUSION: Increased serum resistin levels were significantly associated with periodontal condition, especially when considering bleeding on probing, in elderly Japanese people. There was also a trend, though non-significant, toward decreased levels of adiponectin in subjects with periodontitis.

Serum levels of resistin and adiponectin in women with periodontitis: the Hisayama study.

Resistin and adiponectin, recently discovered adipokines, are secreted from adipose tissue, with postulated opposing functions in insulin resistance and inflammation. More recently, an abundance of resistin was detected in macrophages, which suggests its important role in inflammation. The aim of this study was to clarify circulating serum adipokine levels in women with periodontitis. Thirty-four women with moderate to severe periodontitis and 42 control individuals with healthy gingiva (50- to 59-year-old women) were selected. The serum level of adipokines was analyzed between groups, along with the obesity index, smoking status, and age. Having periodontitis was significantly associated with an increased level of resistin, both in bivariate (OR, 3.0; 95% CI, 1.2-7.6) and multivariate (adjusted OR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.1-8.6) analyses. The association of periodontitis with a decreased level of adiponectin did not reach statistical significance. It was concluded that an increased serum resistin level in middle-aged Japanese women with periodontitis may affect systemic health.

Subretinal neovascularization associated with retinochoroidal coloboma.

PURPOSE: To report a case of subretinal neovascularization associated with retinochoroidal coloboma. METHODS AND RESULTS: A 44-year-old female presented with metamorphopsia in her right eye for 4 weeks. Funduscopic examination revealed bilateral inferior retinochoroidal coloboma. Fluorescein angiography disclosed foci of subretinal neovascularization at the margin between the colobomatous defect and the normal-appearing retina. Five month later, multiple small areas of subretinal hemorrhages were noted. The hemorrhage was gradually absorbed. Six years after initial presentation, subretinal hemorrhage did not recur and her right VA was 0.2. CONCLUSIONS: Ophthalmologists should be aware of this rare but important complication of retinochoroidal coloboma.

[Indication for surgical and microwave coagulation therapy for multiple (> or = 5) bilobar liver metastases from colorectal cancer].

We analyzed methods and clinicopathological factors for multiple (> or = 5) bilobar liver metastases (H3) from colorectal cancer and evaluated the indication of surgical and microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) for them. Twenty-four patients with H3 underwent surgical therapy and were divided into two groups. Group a: 9 patients with a prognosis of more than 700 days. Group b: the remaining 15 patients. There was no significant difference in prognosis between those receiving MCT and resection + MCT as a surgical therapy. The number and maximum diameter of tumors tended to be smaller in Group a. The number of tumors was less than or equal to 9 and the maximum size of the tumors was 38 mm. Moreover, the tumor could be controlled by MCT alone if the tumor size was less than 30 mm. MCT is a useful therapy for these cases and the indication for surgical therapy may depend on the number and maximum size of tumors.

Ultrastructural study of primary lacrimal adenocarcinoma.

PURPOSE: Primary adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland is a rare malignant tumor of the orbit. Up to now, there has been no presentation of its ultrastructural features. The histopathological findings and fine structures of one case of adenocarcinoma of the lacrimal gland are described in the present work. METHODS: The patient was a 59-year-old Japanese man with proptosis that had persisted for one month. A tumor was extirpated, and the tissues were prepared for light and electron microscopic examination. RESULTS: Electron microscopic examination demonstrated that the tumor cells had well-developed microvilli and lumens. These ultrastructure features are similar to those seen in adenocarcinomas at other sites. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that the accurate diagnosis of rare malignant adenocarcinoma depends not only on routine techniques such as light microscopy of hematoxylin-eosin and PAS-diastase stained slides, but also on electron microscopic findings.

Expression of a specific mucin type recognized by monoclonal antibodies in the rat gastric mucosa regenerating from acetic acid-induced ulcer.

BACKGROUND: Detailed research on the healing process of gastric mucosa from injury due to various necrotizing agents is important for regenerating medicine as well as for estimating the quality of ulcer healing. To elucidate this issue, we prepared monoclonal antibodies reacting with mucin molecules present in the specific region and layer of the gastrointestinal mucosa. METHODS: Acetic acid-induced gastric ulcers were prepared in 8-week-old male Wistar rats. Following 24-h fasting, the animals were killed at 20, 30 and 50 days after acid insult and their stomachs were removed immediately. Serial paraffin sections of the ulcer area were made and immunostained with three distinct monoclonal antibodies. RGM21 and HIK1083 react with mucins derived from the surface mucous cells of the corpus and the gland mucous cells of corpus and antrum, respectively. HCM31 stains sialomucin present in the small intestine and colonic mucosa of rat, but does not react with the intact gastric mucosa, except in the very narrow cardiac gland area. RESULTS: On the 20th day after ulcer preparation, the cells stained with RGM21 and HIK1083 were restricted only to the surface layer and the bottom layer of regenerating epithelia, respectively. HCN31 staining covered most of the regenerating epithelia. On the 30th day, the staining of HCM31 was enhanced in the regenerating area. Staining of RGM21 did not change, but the HIK1083 stained area increased in the lower part of the regenerating epithelia. On the 50th day, the staining with HCM31 weakened markedly in the lower part, and this area was occupied with HIK1083 positive cells. CONCLUSION: A notable but temporary expression of a kind of sialomucin specifically stained with HCM31 was observed in the regenerating epithelia during the healing stage of acetic acid-induced gastric damage.

A new strategy for evaluation of the eradication treatment of Helicobacter pylori: validation of the analysis of mucin composition in human gastric juice.

The change in the mucin composition of human gastric juice has been investigated in patients before and after the eradication of the Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) infection. We confirmed the successful eradication of H. pylori in all 17 patients. The gastric luminal mucins were divided into three fractions by ion-exchange chromatography using a discontinuous salt gradient with three salt steps. Although there was a significant variation in the proportion of the mucin content in each fraction among the individual patients, a decrease in the acidic mucin content after the eradication of H. pylori was commonly observed in all the patients. These results indicate that the mucin compositional analysis in the gastric luminal mucin may be a very useful tool for the assessment of H. pylori eradication.

[Assessment of colorectal cancer patients exhibiting bilobular multiple hepatic metastases].

We assessed 23 patients who underwent surgical therapy of hepatectomy or microwave coagulation therapy (MCT) for bilobular multiple hepatic metastatic foci following curative resection of the primary lesion of colorectal cancer. Hepatectomy was the first surgical therapy for 10 patients, and 6 of them received combined intra-arterial chemotherapy. All 13 patients in the MCT group received intra-arterial chemotherapy, and 8 of them underwent combined hepatectomy. The two-year survival rate of the hepatectomy group, classified according to the first surgical therapy, was 40% against 52% in the MCT group. In comparison with the H2 (2-5 foci) patients in the hepatectomy group, there were 7 H2 patients in the MCT group, and the two-year survival rate of these 7 patients was 50%. No significant difference was observed between hepatectomy and the MCT as the first surgical therapy. The survival rates of the 5 patients who received treatment for recurrence after the first surgery and of the 18 patients without any recurrence treatment were 80% and 40%, respectively. No significant difference existed between the two groups, but a p value of 0.06 was noted. MCT was considered to be useful local therapy for cancer as the first therapy and as a therapy following recurrence.

[Transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization using degradable starch microspheres (DSM) markedly effective for post-hepatectomy intra-hepatic recurrence in a patient with cholangioma].

Transcatheter arterial chemo-embolization (TACE) using degradable starch microspheres (DSM) was performed for multiple recurrence after hepatectomy in a patient with cholangiocarcinoma. The patient was a 68-year-man. He received treatment for hepatitis type C starting in 1996 at a nearby hospital. In November 1997, an increased AFP level was noted and a CT scan of the abdomen revealed an abnormal shadow in the liver. On May 21, 1998, imaging results led to the diagnosis of cholangiocarcinoma or a mixed type of hepatocellular carcinoma with cholangioma. Hepatic S7 sub-sequential resection was performed. The lesion was found to be a tumor-forming type, measuring 2.2 x 2.0 cm in diameter, diagnosed histopathologically as cholangiocarcinoma, tw (-), but Stage III since a nodule suggesting intrahepatic metastasis was noted in the cut surface of the resected liver. CT scan after a month revealed multiple metastatic lesions in the liver. TACE was performed by administering 450 mg of DSM, 10 mg of MMC and 30 mg of FARM, given in three divided doses on October 30, 1998, and February 9, 1999, according to Seldinger's method. A CT scan on January 31, 2000 revealed nearly complete remission of the hepatic SOL. Accordingly, TACE was considered to be useful therapy in combination with DSM, MMC and FARM for intrahepatic recurrence of cholangiocarcinoma.

Effects of ecabet sodium, a novel gastroprotective agent, on mucin metabolism in rat gastric mucosa.

The effects of ecabet sodium (ecabet), 12-sulfodehydroabietic acid monosodium salt, on gastric mucin biosynthesis in rat antrum were compared with those in the corpus. Intragastric administration of ecabet significantly increased [3H]glucosamine incorporation into antral mucin as well as into corpus mucin during five successive hours of organ culture. In contrast, mucin biosynthesis in either antrum or corpus was not susceptible to the addition of ecabet to the culture medium. Ecabet-induced stimulation of prostaglandin E2 production in the antrum was essentially the same as that seen in the corpus. In antrum treated with 100 mg/kg ecabet, immunoreactivity with three distinct anti-mucin monoclonal antibodies was found not only in the specific mucus-producing cells, but also in the secreted mucus present at the surface gel layer. These results suggest that ecabet enhances the mucin metabolism, and this stimulation occurs in both the corpus and antrum, suggesting that ecabet might be a useful tool for the further clarification of the regulatory mechanism of antral mucin synthesis.

[Case report of a patient with invading bladder cancer and lymph node swelling which decreased following 5'-DFUR treatment].

We report a 75-year-old man with invading bladder cancer and enlarged lymph nodes, which decreased following 5'-DFUR treatment. A postoperative abdominal CT showed lymph node swelling around the great vessels. The patient refused aggressive chemotherapy, so he was given a 5-FU derivative, 5'-DFUR, 800 mg/day orally. The enlarged lymph node had decreased in size by the 22nd day after the treatment, and the patient has maintained a near CR.

[Bilateral synchronous multilocular epididymal cysts: a case report].

A rare case of bilateral synchronous multilocular epididymal cysts is reported. A fifty-six year old man visited to our hospital with a chief complaint of swelling of bilateral intrascrotal contents. Ultrasonographic findings demonstrated multilocular lesions of the bilateral intrascrotal contents. Preoperative diagnosis was bilateral multilocular hydrocele testes. Operative procedure revealed bilateral cysts originating from the head, body and tail of the epididymis without the cysts of the tunica vaginalis. Operative sight was bilateral synchronous multilocular epididymal cysts, and bilateral epididymal cystectomy were performed. The specimen size was right diameter 12 x 6 cm and left its 8 x 5.5 cm. The puncture of the cystic fluid revealed many spermatozoa in both sides. The acquired cysts of the epididymis generally are the result of tubular obstruction with dilation of tubules adjacent to the obstruction. The dilated tubules are filled variably with viable and degenerating spermatozoa. The cysts originate most commonly from the head of the epididymis, and are unilateral, unilocular or multilocular and are usually within 1 cm in diameter. In our case, bilateral synchronous epididymal cysts originating from not only the head, but also the body and the tail is a rare case.