Neutral beam injection with an improved accelerator for LHD.

The beam profiles, port-through, rates and injection powers obtained with an improved accelerator with the multislot grounded grid are described. The accelerator has a combination of a steering grid with racetrack shaped aperture and multislot grounded grid to improve the beam optics. The optimal beam optics is obtained at the voltage ratio of 16.5-16.8, and the profiles are well fit by superposing multibeamlets with the divergent angles of 5.0 and 7.2 mrad along the direction parallel to the long and short axes of the slots of grounded grid. By adopting the racetrack shaped steering grid, the port-through rate increases from 34% to 38%, and the maximum injection power reaches 6 MW/187 keV.

Spectroscopic observations of beam and source plasma light and testing Cs-deposition monitor in the large area negative ion source for LHD-NBI.

In the large area negative ion source for the LHD negative-ion-(H(-))-based neutral beam system, (I) we used the spectrometer to measure caesium lines in the source plasma during beam shots. (II) With Doppler-shifted measurements, the H(alpha) line at three different locations along the beam as well as the spectrum profile for cases of different plasma grid areas. (III) Caesium deposition monitor with a high speed shutter was tested to measure the weight of the deposited Cs layer. In the observation, cleaner spectra of Doppler-shifted H(alpha) line with only a small level of background light were obtained at a new observation port which viewed the blueshifted light in the drift region after the accelerator of a LHD ion source. Both the amounts of Cs I (852 nm, neutral Cs(0)) and Cs II (522 nm, Cs(+)) in the source plasma light rose sharply when beam acceleration began, and continued rising during a 10 s pulse. It was thought that this was because the cesium was evaporated/sputtered from the source back plate by the back-streaming positive ions. Cs deposition rate to the crystal sensor measured by adjusting the shutter open time was evaluated to be 2.9 nanograms/s cm(2) for preliminary testing. More neutral Cs tended to be evolved in the source after arc discharge. Much Cs could be consumed in a high rate-pulsed operation (such as LHD source).

Tenascin expression and postnatal development of the human prostate.

We investigated the distribution of tenascin during postnatal development of the human prostate. Monoclonal antibody specific to human tenascin was applied to paraffin sections by the avidin-biotin-complex method to examine its localization. Infantile prostates showed two distinct zones. The inner zone had sparse acini with fibromuscular bundles. The peripheral zone had similar acini and lighter stroma as compared with inner zone. Tenascin was found diffusely but weakly. The periglandular area occasionally showed immunoreactivity. The prostates from 9- to 13-year-old subjects had a morphology similar to that of the infantile gland. The difference was increased density of the acini. Immunoreactivity was low. In the prostates from 14- to 21-year-old subjects, the acini distribution was more crowded, and the epithelial lining had become taller in both zones. Tenascin distributed preferentially in the peripheral zone during this period. Simultaneously, the percent of glandular area in the peripheral zone rose abruptly. The dynamics of tenascin expression are closely associated with the development and maturation of the gland. The distribution of tenascin during the post-puberal period may suggest its participation in the preferential of prostatic carcinoma in the peripheral zone.

Intranuclear androgen concentrations in facial skin.

The concentrations of 5 alpha-dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) in the crude nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of facial skin containing large sebaceous glands. The data obtained were compared with those obtained with specimens from non-target areas. The intranuclear levels of DHT and testosterone in facial skin were 0.03 +/- 0.3 pg/micrograms DNA and 0.35 +/- 0.03 pg/micrograms DNA, respectively levels in genital skin. By contrast, both androgens were below detection by RIA in non-target skin. There was no significant difference between men and women with respect to the intranuclear androgen levels in facial skin. These findings support the view that the sebaceous gland is a typical androgen target organ irrespective of sex.

Quantitative assay system for specific enzyme activity using antibody: the case of protease, subtilisin BPN'.

Assay on a high-quality microtiter plate was found to allow for quantitative analysis of bacterial serine protease, subtilisin BPN', and its mutant enzymes which had been genetically engineered to be adapted to low-temperatures (Taguchi et al., 1998. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64, 492-495), by using polyclonal antibody against subtilisin BPN'. The use of polyclonal antibody was crucial in normalizing the number of various different enzyme molecules in culture supernatant samples of recombinant strains of Bacillus subtilis, giving rise to the performance of specific activity assay of the enzymes. Relative activity of each mutant subtilisin BPN' to wild-type enzyme was estimated by monitoring the increased value of absorbance caused by enzymatic hydrolysis of a chromogenic substrate. The relative activity in each enzyme estimated by this method showed good coincidence with that estimated by kinetic parameters, kcat/K(m) of the purified enzymes. We termed the system as 'ABEA' (antibody-bound enzyme assay). The efficient ABEA system developed here would be useful for the determination of specific activity of other enzymes of interest and provide us versatile applications in the field of evolutionary engineering.

Intranuclear androgen and cytosolic receptor concentrations in the axillary skin of osmidrosis.

5 alpha-Dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and testosterone were measured by radioimmunoassay in the crude nuclear and cytoplasmic fractions of the axillary skin of both male and female patients with osmidrosis and the levels compared with those of nongenital skin. The intranuclear levels of DHT were 1.44 +/- 0.22 and 1.77 +/- 0.38 pg/micrograms DNA in men and women, respectively. Those of testosterone were about 10% of DHT levels. In the skin of nontarget regions nuclear DHT was much scarcer or undetectable. Cytosolic androgen receptors in isolated apocrine glands were also measured using 3H-R1881 as a ligand. Typical androgen receptors were present in all of eight patients (KD = 1.32 +/- 0.24 X 10(-9)M, Bmax = 10.3 +/- 0.51 fmol/mg protein). Neither the intranuclear androgen concentrations nor the cytosolic androgen receptor levels were significantly different between the two sexes. These data indicate clearly that the apocrine gland of patients with osmidrosis is a typical androgen target organ, irrespective of sex, and suggest that nuclear DHT in the axillary skin of women is derived from not only testosterone but also other precursors, especially in consideration of the very low serum concentrations of testosterone in females.

Side gland of Suncus murinus as a new model of sebaceous gland: 5 alpha-reductase, androgen receptor, and nuclear androgen content in male and female animals.

The side gland of Suncus murinus is composed of well-developed sebaceous glands in both males and females. We measured the 5 alpha-reductase activity, androgen receptor content, and the intranuclear concentrations of testosterone and dihydrotestosterone in this side gland taking it as a new experimental model of human sebaceous glands. Lineweaver-Burk plot analysis suggested the presence of two classes of 5 alpha-reductase with different Km for testosterone in the homogenate. The enzyme activity was slightly higher in males than in females in the presence of a high concentration of testosterone. The levels of androgen receptors were approximately 40 and 30 fmol/mg protein in the cytosol and nuclei, respectively. The values did not differ significantly between males and females. The intranuclear concentration of dihydrotestosterone in the side gland was higher than that of testosterone in each sex. The intranuclear level of each of these two androgens in the female side gland was comparable to that in the male side gland despite the fact that the serum level of testosterone was much lower in the female. These data clearly indicate that the side gland is a typical target tissue for androgens in the female as well as in the male. Androgens other than testosterone may serve as precursors of dihydrotestosterone in the female side gland.

[A case report of mild from of phenylketonuria].

We report a 19-year-old man with mild form of phenylketonuria. The diagnosis was first made when he was examined for the tremor at 19 years of age. He had not received the Guthrie's screening test for phenylketonuria in infancy. His development of speech and walking was almost normal. Action and positional tremor developed at two years of age, and psychomotor deterioration at five years. His intelligence was of borderline, and he entered the special class for the mentally retarded at elementary school and junior high school. His skin and iris were less pigmented than those of Japanese young adults, and his hair was rather reddish. He had mild action tremor. He showed mild mental retardation, and the WAIS was 46 in PIQ, 70 in VIQ and 53 in total IQ. T2-weighted MRI of the brain showed high signal of the deep white matter around the posterior conus of the lateral ventricles. EEG showed paroxysmal abnormalities. Serum aminogram disclosed a marked elevation of phenylalanine. Analyses of pteridine in the serum and urine disclosed a low ratio of neopterine/biopterine. An assay of the dehydropteridine reductase in erythrocytes was normal. These laboratory data indicated that his condition was caused by a deficiency of phenylalanine hydroxylase deficiency.

[Congenital urethral diverticulum in a male infant: a case report].

A case of congenital anterior urethral diverticulum of a male infant is reported. The patient was a 3-year-old boy who had complained of a sac-like swelling and urinary fistula of the anterior penis. The diagnosis was made by means of retrograde urethrocystography. Diverticulectomy and cystostomy were done. The post-operative course was uneventful. The microscopic examination showed that the diverticulum was lined with normal urethral epithelium. We made a statistical survey on 47 male children up to 15 years of age with congenital anterior urethral diverticulum reported in the Japanese literature.

[Primary transitional cell carcinoma of the male urethra: report of a case].

A case of primary transitional cell carcinoma of the male urethra is reported. A 24-year-old man, who complained of tumor of the urethral orifice with hypospadias, was admitted to our Hospital on November 30, 1983. Urethrocystoscopy and biopsy revealed grade 1 papillary transitional cell carcinoma of the anterior urethra. Partial resection of anterior urethra including tumor was performed on December 20, 1983. Histopathological diagnosis revealed grade 2 transitional cell carcinoma without submucosal invasion. Postoperatively, the patient was treated with Tegafur and Krestin as adjuvant immuno-chemotherapy. The patient has shown no evidence of disease for 3 years after surgery. There have been reported 23 cases of primary transitional cell carcinoma of the male urethra in Japan.

[Clinical analysis of primary vesicoureteral reflux in children].

The retrospective analysis of 64 patients between 1 month and 14 years old with 87 primary vesicoureteral units with reflux was reviewed. They were followed-up for a period of 3 to 60 months. Thirty one patients were managed conservatively by chemotherapy (group A) and 28 patients were treated surgically. As the anti-reflux operation the Politano-Leadbetter procedure was used in 27 patients and the modified Politano-Leadbetter procedure in 1 patient (group B). Five patients were not treated (group C). In 13 of the 30 renal units of group A, the vesico-ureteral reflux disappeared spontaneously and in group B the post-operative cystourethrography revealed cure of reflux in all the renal units. In 2 of the 21 renal units of group A excretory urography (IVP) revealed improvement and in 3 deterioration. Post-operative IVP revealed improvement in 13 of 39 renal units of group B and in 2 deterioration. In 3 of the 22 renal units of group A the renogram revealed improvement and in 3 deterioration. The post-operative renogram revealed improvement in 8 of the 28 renal units of group B and deterioration in renal units. Analysis was also made according to the vesicoureteral reflux grade.

[Usefulness of computed tomography and ultrasonography for the early detection of renal cell carcinoma].

Eighty-three cases of renal cell carcinomas admitted to Nara Medical University and its related hospitals from August, 1962 through July, 1984 were reviewed. We have been using computed tomography (CT) and ultrasonography (US) for early detection of renal cell carcinomas since 1980. Thereafter the number of patients with low stage renal cell carcinoma was significantly increased. Furthermore 6 carcinomas were incidentally detected by CT and/or US examination for checkup of other diseases. We believe that CT and US may be valuable as a screening modality for early detection of renal cell carcinoma.

[Experience of renal autotransplantation].

We present 2 cases with renovascular hypertension treated by renal autotransplantation and 3 cases with extensive renal calculi treated by renal bench surgery and autotransplantation. The cases with renovascular hypertension were due to fibromuscular dysplasia in the trunk of renal artery, and return to normotension and improvement of renal function were obtained within a few days after the operation. In 2 of the cases with extensive renal calculi, the contralateral kidney was contracted. In all cases, the stones were removed completely and urinary tract infection persisting before operation was eradicated. The postoperative renal function was well preserved and no recurrence of renal calculi was observed throughout the follow up period. The indication of renal bench surgery and autotransplantation was discussed both for renal calculi and renovascular hypertension.

[Fundamental studies on intravesical instillation of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum for treatment of urinary bladder tumors. II. On the effects of intravesical instillation of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum in bladder cancer patients].

This study was performed to determine whether intravesical Cis-Diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (DDP), one of the most effective agents in the treatments of advanced bladder cancer, is applicable for prophylaxis and/or definitive treatment of superficial bladder cancers. Six patients were instilled 10 mg/20 ml of DDP immediately after TUR-Bt, but no remarkable elevation of plasma platinum concentration was observed. In one patient planned to have total cystectomy, 20 mg/40 ml of DDP was instilled daily for 10 days. No remarkable changes in symptom and blood examination was found during the instillation periods. Transitional cell carcinoma of grade 2 was necrosed extensively, but minimum cellular injury was observed in normal mucosa. Tissue platinum concentration was 3.19 micrograms/g. wet in carcinoma and 0.28 microgram/g. wet in normal mucosa. Longterm prophylactic instillation of 20 mg/40 ml of DDP was performed in 16 patients starting immediately after TUR-Bt. As the side effects of DDP instillation, contracted bladder was observed in one patient and allergic reactions, such as flush of the skin and dyspnea, were observed in 4 cases. These allergic reactions were happened suddenly after 15 approximately 19 times of DDP instillation without any prelude. At present, intravesical instillation of DDP seems to cause minimal irritation of bladder and absorption through the bladder wall, but clinical trials of intravesical DDP should be taken under careful observation until the allergic reaction by intravesical DDP are clarified.

Electron density measurement of cesium seeded negative ion source by surface wave probe.

Electron density measurements of a large-scaled negative ion source were carried out with a surface wave probe. By comparison of the electron densities determined with the surface wave probe and a Langmuir probe, it was confirmed that the surface wave probe is highly available for diagnostic of the electron density in H(-) ion sources. In addition, it was found that the ratio of the electron density to the H(-) ion density dramatically decreases with increase of a bias voltage and the H(-) ions become dominant negative particles at the bias voltage of more than 6 V.

Spatial distribution of the charged particles and potentials during beam extraction in a negative-ion source.

We report on the characteristics of the electronegative plasma in a large-scale hydrogen negative ion (H(-)) source. The measurement has been made with a time-resolved Langmuir probe installed in the beam extraction region. The H(-) density is monitored with a cavity ring-down system to identify the electrons in the negative charges. The electron-saturation current decreases rapidly after starting to seed Cs, and ion-ion plasma is observed in the extraction region. The H(-) density steps down during the beam extraction and the electron density jumps up correspondingly. The time integral of the decreasing H(-) charge density agrees well with the electron charge collected with the probe. The agreement of the charges is interpreted to indicate that the H(-) density decreasing at the beam extraction is compensated by the electrons diffusing from the driver region. In the plasmas with very low electron density, the pre-sheath of the extraction field penetrates deeply inside the plasmas. That is because the shielding length in those plasmas is longer than that in the usual electron-ion plasmas, and furthermore the electrons are suppressed to diffuse to the extraction region due to the strong magnetic field.

Characteristics of 80 keV positive ion source for Large Helical Device.

An additional beamline, BL5, equipped with four positive ion sources will be installed on Large Helical Device (LHD) in 2010. The performance of an ion source which generates 80 keV deuterium and 60 keV hydrogen beams was investigated. The structure of the ion source is based on that of a BL4 ion source on LHD. The main differences between the ion sources for the BL4 and BL5 are the acceleration voltages and the materials of plasma electrodes: copper and molybdenum, respectively. The molybdenum plasma electrode for BL5 has better performance than the copper plasma electrode of BL4. The integrated performance of the ion source for BL5 reached a value equivalent to approximately 58 A in the beam current of hydrogen positive ion at 60 keV in the beam energy.

Beamlet characteristics in the accelerator with multislot grounded grid.

Characteristics of multibeamlets are investigated by means of beamlet monitoring technique. The beamlets are extracted from an accelerator with multislot grounded grid and the profiles are observed as infrared images of temperature distributions on a cold isostatic pressed graphite plate exposed by H-beamlets. The optimal horizontal and vertical divergence angles of single beamlet are estimated at 4.1 and 6.1 mrad, respectively.