Operation for chronic pulmonary thromboembolism accompanied by thrombophilia in 8 patients

BACKGROUND: Medical therapy for chronic pulmonary thromboembolism is limited, and surgical treatment has become more frequent recently. We have performed pulmonary thromboendarterectomy on 8 patients with chronic pulmonary thromboembolism accompanied by thrombophilia. METHODS: The patients were 6 men and 2 women aged 21 to 56 years (mean, 35 years). Five patients had antiphospholipid syndrome, 2 had protein C deficiency, and 1 had congenital antithrombin III deficiency. The preoperative condition was New York Heart Association functional class III in 5 and class IV in 3. Hypoxemia, marked pulmonary hypertension (mean pulmonary artery pressure, 47+/-6.7 mm Hg), and low cardiac output were observed in all patients. After a median sternotomy, deep hypothermia was induced using a cardiopulmonary bypass, and pulmonary thromboendarterectomy in the bilateral pulmonary arteries was performed under intermittent circulatory arrest. RESULTS: There were no operative deaths. Long-term respiratory management was needed postoperatively by 3 patients. In the remaining 5 patients, no reperfusion injury was observed. The arterial blood oxygen concentration improved, and the mean pulmonary pressure decreased to 16+/-5.5 mm Hg. The cardiac output also increased, and New York Heart Association functional class improved to I in 4 and II in 4 patients. CONCLUSION: Pulmonary thromboendarterectomy under deep hypothermic intermittent circulatory arrest was effective for chronic pulmonary thromboembolism accompanied by thrombophilia for which medical treatment is of limited value.     

Continuously tunable THz and far-infrared wave generation from DAST crystal

Continuously tunable terahertz (THz) and far-infrared waves over a wide range of 2 to 30 THz were generated in a 4-N,N-dimethylamino-4'-N'-methyl-stilbazolium tosylate (DAST) crystal by difference frequency mixing. A dual-wavelength optical parametric oscillator in the range of 1250 to 1450 nm as the input light source was developed.     

Self oscillation phenomena of turbulent jets in a channel

A new method based on the Coanda effect for self oscillation of a circular jet bounded by rectangular enclosure is suggested. The experiments in both air and water reveal regions of stable oscillation wherein relationships are obtained between the Strouhal number and the shape factor of the channel. This oscillation method can also be used to mix different liquids in a vessel. For such applications, an improvement of mixing by oscillation is shown by means of a residual concentration diagram for a salt solution.     

Interaction of rat lin-10 with brain-enriched F-actin-binding protein, neurabin-II/spinophilin

We have recently isolated a rat homologue of the Caenorrhabditis elegans lin-10 product. Although rat lin-10 is expressed in the cytosol and membrane fractions of various tissues, it is distributed only in the membrane fraction in brain where it is enriched in the synaptic plasma membrane and postsynaptic density fractions. We have isolated here a rat lin-10-interacting protein from rat brain and identified it to be neurabin-II/spinophilin, which has recently been isolated as a protein interacting with protein phosphatase I and F-actin. Neurabin-II/spinophilin is ubiquitously expressed but enriched in brain, especially in the synaptic plasma membrane and postsynaptic density fractions. We discuss the physiological significance of the interaction of rat lin-10 with neurabin-II/spinophilin.     

Synthesis of DHPA analogs and their inhibitory activities of human recombinant S-adenosyl-L-homocysteine hydrolase

We report syntheses of DHPA analogs, e.g., 9-(3-formyl-2,3-dihydroxypropyl)adenine (FDHPA) and 9-(3-formyl-2,3-dihydroxypropyl)hypoxanthine (FDHPI). Among these DHPA analogs, FDHPA behaved as an irreversible inactivator of human recombinant SAH hydrolase.     

Immunohistochemical detection of estrogen and progesterone receptors in spermatozoa of infertile men

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the clinical implication of sex steroidal actions on human spermatozoa. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Human spermatozoa were obtained from 20 males. Immunohistochemical staining for estrogen receptors (ER) and progesterone receptors (PR) was conducted by the avidin-biotin-peroxidase complex method. RESULTS: Positive immunohistochemical staining of ER and PR was observed in all 8 cases of fertile couples. From infertile couples, ER were detected in 8/12 cases, including 3 with normozoospermia, 2 with oligozoospermia, 1 with asthenozoospermia, and 2 with teratozoospermia, but not in 4/12 cases, 1 with normozoospermia, 1 with asthenozoospermia, and 2 with oligoasthenozoospermia. PR were undetectable in all cases of negative ER and in 1 case (normozoospermial) of positive ER. CONCLUSION: Negative ER and/or PR in spermatozoa from infertile couples might be involved in cases of male infertility.     

A 100-channel optical FDM transmission/distribution at 622 Mb/sover 50 km

A 100-channel optical frequency-division multiplexing (FDM) transmission/distribution experiment at 622 Mb/s is demonstrated for a fiber length of 50 km. The feasibility of a polarization-insensitive waveguide frequency selection switch for 10-GHz intervals and a frequency-shift-keying (FSK) direct-detection scheme employing a Mach-Zehnder filter is verified. The demodulation circuit employs a Mach-Zehnder filter and a balanced receiver, which utilizes optical power more efficiently than the Fabry-Perot filter. No receiver sensitivity degradation is observed due to interchannel crosstalk of the 128-channel tunable waveguide frequency selection switch (FS-SW) or fiber four-wave mixing for transmissions over a 50-km-long nondispersion-shifted (NDS) fiber and a 26-km-long dispersion-shifted (DS) fiber