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Now showing items 97 - 112 of 332

  • Treatment of lymphangioma in children: our experience of 128 cases.

    Okazaki, Tadaharu   Iwatani, Saori   Yanai, Toshihiro   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Kato, Yoshifumi   Marusasa, Takashi   Lane, Geoffrey J   Yamataka, Atsuyuki  

    PURPOSE: The aim of this study is to investigate the optimal treatment for lymphangioma in children by analyzing the effectiveness and complications of treatment modalities.METHODS: We reviewed 128 patients with lymphangioma treated at our institution between 1979 and 2005. Periods of treatment were divided arbitrarily into 2 groups: period I, from 1979 to 1988 (n = 53); and period II, from 1989 to 2005 (n = 75). According to radiological appearance, patients were grouped into 4 types: single cystic (SI; n = 23), macrocystic (MA; n = 11), microcystic (MI; n = 69), and cavernous (CA; n = 25).RESULTS: Sclerotherapy as primary treatment was performed in only 2 patients (3.8%) in period I using bleomycin but increased significantly in period II to 48 patients (64.0%) using OK-432 (P < .01). Nevertheless, primary surgical excision (69/78 patients, 88.5%) was significantly more successful than sclerotherapy (32/50, 64.0%) (P < .01). The following are the locations and types of lesions: head/neck (n = 69; SI, 11; MA, 5; MI, 42; CA, 11), trunk (n = 34; SI, 6; MA, 6; MI, 15; CA, 7), and extremities/other (n = 25; SI, 6; MI, 12; CA, 7). The effectiveness of sclerotherapy in SI, MA, MI, and CA types was 90.9%, 100%, 68.0%, and 10.0%, respectively. Seventeen patients (SI, 1; MI, 8; CA, 8) who received primary sclerotherapy required surgical excision with good outcome. Complications after primary surgical excision were more serious compared with sclerotherapy.CONCLUSION: Sclerotherapy with OK-432 was not as effective as reported in the literature. We recommend OK-432 injection therapy alone for SI and MA types and surgical excision after pretreatment with OK-432 for MI and CA types.
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  • FRESNEL LENS

    To provide a Fresnel lens wherein changes in focal length due to temperature dependence of the refractive index can be compensated. By introducing a fractal structure into prisms in a peripheral region in which the prism angle is large and therefore the aspect ratio h/p of the prisms is large, the aspect ratio is reduced from h/p to h'/p and the slope of the envelope 20 to the underside of the slopping face is reduced, and thereby a shape in which a change in focal length due to temperature dependence of refractive index can be compensated for by a change in the shape of lenses due to expansion/contraction, is obtained.
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  • SEMICONDUCTOR MEMORY

    A regular redundant line is provided for each of the redundant fuse circuits for which a defective address is programmed. A reserve redundant line is provided commonly with the redundant fuse circuit. An address comparison circuit compares a defective address programmed in the redundant fuse circuit with an access address. If they coincide, the address comparison circuit outputs a redundant signal. A switch circuit is controlled in accordance with a redundant selection signal outputted from the selection fuse circuit and enables a corresponding regular redundant line or a reserve redundant line in response to the redundant signal. By classifying the redundant lines into the regular redundant lines and the reserve redundant lines, it is possible to correlate each of the redundant fuse circuits with one of the redundant lines with a simple switch circuit. Accordingly, it is possible to reduce the difference in the signal propagation delay time between a case when eliminating a defect and a case when no defect is present, thereby reducing the access time difference.
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  • Mechanical Manipulation of Photophysical Properties of Single Conjugated Polymer Nanoparticles

    Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Hirata, Shuzo   Vacha, Martin  

    Results on simultaneous atomic force microscopy (AFM) and fluorescence microspectroscopy on single nanopartides of the conjugated polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MEH-PPV) are presented. Single particle fluorescence spectra and defocused images confirm that the particles are composed of large numbers of randomly oriented conjugated segments (chromophores) with a wide distribution of the segment lengths. Mechanical contact of the particle surface with a sharp tip of the AFM probe causes reversible modification of the particle fluorescence intensity and spectra. The majority of the partides show an increase of fluorescence intensity and blue spectral shift upon contact with the tip. The fluorescence increase is correlated with the particle size and is most pronounced for the smallest particles. The phenomena are interpreted in terms of local disturbance of the MEH-PPV chain conformation by the probe tip.
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  • Serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 levels in congenital diaphragmatic hernia

    Okawada, Manabu   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Tei, Eri   Okazaki, Tadaharu   Lane, Geoffrey J.   Yamataka, Atsuyuki  

    To measure serum monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) in patients with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) and investigate its relationship to the development of persistent pulmonary hypertension (PPH). Serum MCP-1 was measured in 13 neonates with high risk for CDH at the time of diagnosis and postoperatively, and in five age-matched controls using an ELISA system. The 13 CDH subjects were divided into four groups according to the presence of PPH and outcome. Group I (severe-pre group): subjects with severe PPH who died prior to surgery (n = 5); Group II (mild-pre group): subjects with mild PPH controlled by medications (n = 8); Group IIa (severe-post group): subjects who subsequently developed severe PPH postoperatively and died (n = 3); and Group IIb (mild-post group): subjects who continued to have mild PPH controlled by medications. We also examined nitrofen-induced hypoplastic lungs from five rat fetuses with CDH and five control lung specimens for MCP-1 using immunohistochemistry. Mean serum MCP-1 in Group I was (1038.0 +/- 95.8 pg/ml), which was significantly higher than Group II (444.9 +/- 39.7 pg/ml) (P < 0.0001) and controls (147.3 +/- 11.3 pg/ml) (P < 0.0001). Postoperatively, Group IIa was significantly higher than Group IIb from 24 to 120 h postoperatively (P < 0.001). In Group IIb serum MCP-1 did not rise at all between 24 and 120 h postoperatively. Hypoplastic fetal rat CDH lungs had strong expression of MCP-1 compared with control lungs. Up-regulated expression and high circulating levels of MCP-1 in CDH patients with PPH suggest that MCP-1 may play a role in the development of PPH in CDH.
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  • Activation of a particulate Ta3N5 water-oxidation photoanode with a GaN hole-blocking layer

    Asakura, Yusuke   Higashi, Tomohiro   Nishiyama, Hiroshi   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Nakabayashi, Mamiko   Shibata, Naoya   Minegishi, Tsutomu   Hisatomi, Takashi   Katayama, Masao   Yamadaa, Taro   Domen, Kazunari  

    Particulate Ta3N5, a material that responds to visible light for photo-electrochemical O-2 evolution, was glued to ametallic GaN conducting layer. The electrode was able to oxidize water with 1.8-fold higher efficiency than that without GaN. The GaN layer blocked the hole current from Ta3N5 to the back-contact metal layer and prevented hole-electron recombination.
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  • The Development of Yellow Nail Syndrome after the Implantation of a Permanent Cardiac Pacemaker

    Suzuki, Tomoharu   Tokuda, Yasuharu   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki  

    Yellow nail syndrome (YNS) is characterized by yellowish nails, lymphedema, sinusitis, and pulmonary involvement and can be triggered by various underlying conditions, such as sinusitis or titanium exposure from an artificial joint or dental implant. Since YNS is potentially treatable, its timely diagnosis is important. The authors recently experienced a case of YNS in a patient who developed sinusitis, yellowish nails, bilateral edema of the extremities, and subclinical rheumatoid arthritis after the implantation of a cardiac pacemaker made from titanium. This case may be the first report of YNS induced by a titanium cardiac pacemaker.
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  • Role of adsorbed water in diffusion of rhodamine 6G on glass surface

    Mitani, Yoko   Shimada, Akira   Koshihara, Sawako   Fukuhara, Kazuto   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Kotani, Masahiro  

    Diffusion of rhodamine 6G (R6G) adsorbed on glass surface was measured. A dilute solution of R6G was spin coated on a glass plate. A small area of the film was photo-bleached by a focused laser beam, and subsequent disappearance of the dark spot in the fluorescent image due to diffusion of the surrounding molecules was measured as a function of time. It was found that the diffusion of adsorbed R6G over the glass surface was enhanced strongly at high humidity. A simple model, which assumes an adsorption-desorption equilibrium of the dye molecules within a thin adsorbed water layer, is proposed. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
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  • MOUNTING STAND FOR HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE, AND INSPECTION DEVICE OF HONEYCOMB STRUCTURE

    A mounting stand for a honeycomb structure on which the honeycomb structure can be mounted without causing any chipping, cracking or the like on the outer circumference of the end face of the honeycomb structure. The mounting stand for a honeycomb structure comprises a mounting member having a structure mounting surface touching the entire end face including the outer circumference of the honeycomb structure, a preliminary mounting member having a preliminary mounting surface for mounting the honeycomb structure ahead of the mounting member, and an elevating/lowering mechanism for moving the preliminary mounting member up/down relatively to the mounting member, characterized in that the preliminary mounting surface is parallel with the structure mounting surface, and when it is superimposed on the end face of the honeycomb structure, the preliminary mounting surface has such a profile that its outer circumference exists entirely on the inside of the outer circumference of the end face of the honeycomb structure.
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  • ACOUSTIC REPRODUCTION SYSTEM, RECORDING MEDIUM, AND ELECTRONIC INFORMATION PROVIDING SYSTEM

    An acoustic reproduction system can easily and rapidly perform in a desired space, a relative comparison of sound qualities of acoustic information recorded in a vehicle, for example, under a desired reproduction condition. The acoustic reproduction system includes: storage means which stores acoustic information recorded for each of reproduction conditions based on a plurality of combinations of acoustic reproduction means and a plurality of sound fields; selection means which displays a plurality of reproduction conditions and receives a selection made by a user; and reproduction means which acquires acoustic information corresponding to the reproduction condition selected by the user from a plurality of reproduction conditions and reproduces the acoustic information. Thus, by selecting acoustic information corresponding to a desired reproduction condition from a plurality of reproduction conditions, the user can repeatedly listen to the selected acoustic information in a desired space including a space other than the space where the acoustic information is recorded. This enables the user to easily and rapidly perform in a desired space, a relative comparison of sound qualities of acoustic information obtained under different reproduction conditions.
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  • F-18-fluoromisonidazole positron emission tomography can predict pathological necrosis of brain tumors

    Toyonaga, Takuya   Hirata, Kenji   Yamaguchi, Shigeru   Hatanaka, Kanako C.   Yuzawa, Sayaka   Manabe, Osamu   Kobayashi, Kentaro   Watanabe, Shiro   Shiga, Tohru   Terasaka, Shunsuke   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Kuge, Yuji   Tamaki, Nagara  

    Tumor necrosis is one of the indicators of tumor aggressiveness. F-18-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO) is the most widely used positron emission tomography (PET) tracer to evaluate severe hypoxia in vivo. Because severe hypoxia causes necrosis, we hypothesized that intratumoral necrosis can be detected by FMISO PET in brain tumors regardless of their histopathology. We applied FMISO PET to various types of brain tumors before tumor resection and evaluated the correlation between histopathological necrosis and FMISO uptake. This study included 59 brain tumor patients who underwent FMISO PET/computed tomography before any treatments. According to the pathological diagnosis, the brain tumors were divided into three groups: astrocytomas (group 1), neuroepithelial tumors except for astrocytomas (group 2), and others (group 3). Two experienced neuropathologists evaluated the presence of necrosis in consensus. FMISO uptake in the tumor was evaluated visually and semi-quantitatively using the tumor-to-normal cerebellum ratio (TNR). In visual analyses, 26/27 cases in the FMISO-positive group presented with necrosis, whereas 28/32 cases in the FMISO-negative group did not show necrosis. Mean TNRs with and without necrosis were 3.49 +/- 0.97 and 1.43 +/- 0.42 (p < 0.00001) in group 1, 2.91 +/- 0.83 and 1.44 +/- 0.20 (p < 0.005) in group 2, and 2.63 +/- 1.16 and 1.35 +/- 0.23 (p < 0.05) in group 3, respectively. Using a cut-off value of TNR = 1.67, which was calculated by normal reference regions of interest, we could predict necrosis with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 96.7, 93.1, and 94.9 %, respectively. FMISO uptake within the lesion indicated the presence of histological micro-necrosis. When we used a TNR of 1.67 as the cut-off value, intratumoral micro-necrosis was sufficiently predictable. Because the presence of necrosis implies a poor prognosis, our results suggest that FMISO PET could provide important information for treatment decisions or surgical strategies of any type of brain tumor.
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  • SCREENING METHOD

    It is intended to provide a method of screening a preventive/remedy for cancer. More specifically speaking, a screening method and a screening kit characterized by comprising using: (a) a protein having an amino acid sequence which is the same or substantially the same as the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO:1, its partial peptide or a salt thereof, and (b) a ligand capable of binding specifically to the above protein, to thereby screen a compound or its salt altering the binding properties of the protein or a salt thereof to the ligand; a compound or its salt obtained by the screening; a preventive/remedy for cancer containing the compound or its salt; and so on.
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  • Expression profiles of BDNF splice variants in cultured DRG neurons stimulated with NGF

    Matsuoka, Yoshikazu   Yokoyama, Masataka   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Omori, Megurni   Itano, Yoshitaro   Morita, Kiyoshi   Mori, Hiroki   Nakanishi, Tohru  

    Expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) mRNA is increased in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) in response to peripheral inflammation. Nerve growth factor (NGF) from inflammatory tissue is thought to induce expression of BDNF. Recently, it was reported that the BDNF gene has eight non-coding exons that are transcribed independently into several splice variants. Expression of these splice variants in DRG neurons stimulated with NGF has not been studied. We examined changes in expression of BDNF splice variants in a rat model of peripheral inflammation and in cultured DRG neurons exposed to NGF. Total BDNF mRNA was increased by inflammation in vivo and by NGF in uitro. Among all splice variants, exon 1-9 showed the greatest increase in expression in both experiments. Our results indicate that exon 1-9 contributes to changes in total BDNF levels and may play an important role in the acute response of DRG to NGF. (c) 2007 Published by Elsevier Inc.
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  • Divergence of East Asians and Europeans estimated using male- and female-specific genetic markers.

    Tateno, Yoshio   Komiyama, Tomoyoshi   Katoh, Toru   Munkhbat, Batmunkh   Oka, Akira   Haida, Yuko   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Tamiya, Gen   Inoko, Hidetoshi  

    To study the male and female lineages of East Asian and European humans, we have sequenced 25 short tandem repeat markers on 453 Y-chromosomes and collected sequences of 72 complete mitochondrial genomes to construct independent phylogenetic trees for male and female lineages. The results indicate that East Asian individuals fall into two clades, one that includes East Asian individuals only and a second that contains East Asian and European individuals. Surprisingly, the European individuals did not form an independent clade, but branched within in the East Asians. We then estimated the divergence time of the root of the European clade as 41,000 years ago. These data indicate that, contrary to traditional views, Europeans diverged from East Asians around that time. We also address the origin of the Ainu lineage in northern Japan.=20
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  • Serum basic fibroblast growth factor as a marker of reflux nephropathy.

    Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Miyakita, Hideshi   Yamataka, Atsuyuki   Koga, Hiroyuki   Lane, Geoffrey J   Miyano, Takeshi  

    PURPOSE: The authors investigated whether serum basic fibroblast growth factor (b-FGF) can be used as a noninvasive marker of renal parenchymal damage (scarring) in cases of vesicoureteric reflux (VUR).METHODS: Serum levels of b-FGF were measured in 120 children with known grade III to grade V VUR and 21 controls using a standard enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay technique.RESULTS: Sixty-five children had grade III VUR, 39 had grade IV, and 16 had grade V. Renal scarring was seen in 43 children on radionuclide scanning. There were no significant differences between serum b-FGF levels for different grades of VUR without scarring and controls. However, serum b-FGF levels were significantly higher in VUR patients with renal scarring than in patients with VUR without renal scarring (P < .001).CONCLUSIONS: This report is the first to document serum b-FGF profiles in children with VUR and renal scarring. The authors recommend measuring it as a simple, noninvasive marker of renal scarring in cases of VUR.
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  • Preferential hypermethylation of the Dickkopf-1 promoter in core-binding factor leukaemia.

    Suzuki, Rikio   Onizuka, Makoto   Kojima, Minoru   Shimada, Masako   Fukagawa, Satomi   Tsuboi, Kosuke   Kobayashi, Hiroyuki   Shintani, Ayumi   Ogawa, Yoshiaki   Kawada, Hiroshi   Hotta, Tomomitsu   Ando, Kiyoshi  

    The Dickkopf-1 (DKK1) gene product is an extracellular Wnt inhibitor. Hypermethylation of the DKK1 promoter results in transcriptional silencing and may play an important role in cancer development. Here, we investigated hypermethylation of the DKK1 promoter in patients with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), especially core-binding factor (CBF) leukaemia. The methylation status of DKK1 was analysed using methylation-specific polymerase chain reaction in 47 patients with AML. DKK1 methylation was found in 14 (29.8%) patients, and more frequently in those with CBF leukaemia (6 of 12 patients), than in those with acute promyelocytic leukaemia (APL) (0 of 6 patients) (P = 0.03). In contrast, Wnt inhibitory factor-1 methylation was found in APL (4 of 6 patients) but not in CBF leukaemia (0 of 12 patients) (P = 0.001). Multivariate analyses suggested that DKK1 methylation was a risk factor for poorer overall survival. Sequential analysis using four paired samples obtained at diagnosis and relapse suggested that DKK1 methylation was involved in the progression of leukaemia. Therefore, DKK1 methylation may be involved in leukaemogenesis, especially in CBF leukaemia, and may be a useful prognostic marker in AML.
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