Enhanced Development of Azoxymethane-Induced Colonic Preneoplastic Lesions in Hypertensive Rats

Metabolic syndrome is associated with an increased risk of colorectal cancer. This study investigated the impact of hypertension, a component of metabolic syndrome, on azoxymethane (AOM)-induced colorectal carcinogenesis using SHRSP/Izm (SHRSP) non-diabetic/hypertensive rats and SHRSP.Z-Lepr^fa/IzmDmcr (SHRSP-ZF) diabetic/hypertensive rats. Male 6-week-old SHRSP, SHRSP-ZF, and control non-diabetic/normotensive Wister Kyoto/Izm (WKY) rats were given 2 weekly intraperitoneal injections of AOM (20 mg/kg body weight). Two weeks after the last injection of AOM, the SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF rats became hypertensive compared to the control WKY rats. Serum levels of angiotensin-II, the active product of the renin-angiotensin system, were elevated in both SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF rats, but only the SHRSP-ZF rats developed insulin resistance, dyslipidemia, and hyperleptinemia and exhibited an increase in adipose tissue. The development of AOM-induced colonic preneoplastic lesions and aberrant crypts foci, was significantly accelerated in both SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF hypertensive rats, compared to WKY normotensive rats. Furthermore, induction of oxidative stress and exacerbation of inflammation were observed in the colonic mucosa and systemically in SHRSP and SHRSP-ZF rats. Our findings suggest that hypertension plays a role in the early stage of colorectal carcinogenesis by inducing oxidative stress and chronic inflammation, which might be associated with activation of the renin-angiotensin system.     

Effects of hydrophilicity of crosslinker on membrane properties of poly(N-hydroxyethyl-L-glutamine) hydrogels

Summary Poly(N-hydroxyethyl-L-glutamine) (PHEG) hydrogels were prepared by aminolysis of poly( -benzyl L-glutamate) with 2-aminoethanol and hydrophobic or hydrophilic crosslinkers, and the effect of the hydrophobicity of the crosslinkers was evaluated. The swelling properties, tensile properties and enzymatic degradation behavior were studied in phosphate buffered saline (PBS). The swelling ratio and degradation rate of these hydrogels were highly dependent on the hydrophobicity of the crosslinkers, while tensile properties were dependent on the swelling ratio, but not on the hydrophobicity of the crosskinkers.     

Surface Relief Associated with Isothermal Martensite in Zirconia–3-mol%-Yttria Ceramics Observed by Atomic Force Microscopy

Surface relief associated with martensitic transformation—tetragonal-to-monoclinic phase transformation—that occurred during isothermal aging at temperatures of 400 and 473 K was observed via atomic force microscopy, using prepolished and thermally etched surfaces of zirconia–3 mol% yttria that was sintered at a temperature of 1923 K for 5 h. The isothermal martensitic transformation occurred first at grain boundaries and advanced into grain interiors as the aging time increased and then spread successively into the surrounding grains. The transformation area, which had an approximately round shape, increased as the aging time increased. The fine structure of the surface relief was composed of many tent shapes that were several nanometers high with an angle of ∼165°.     

C57BL/KsJ-db/db-Apc Mice Exhibit an Increased Incidence of Intestinal Neoplasms

The numbers of obese people and diabetic patients are ever increasing. Obesity and diabetes are high-risk conditions for chronic diseases, including certain types of cancer, such as colorectal cancer (CRC). The aim of this study was to develop a novel animal model in order to clarify the pathobiology of CRC development in obese and diabetic patients. We developed an animal model of obesity and colorectal cancer by breeding the C57BL/KsJ-db/db (db/db) mouse, an animal model of obesity and type II diabetes, and the C57BL/6J-Apc(Min/+) (Min/+) mouse, a model of familial adenomatous polyposis. At 15 weeks of age, the N9 backcross generation of C57BL/KsJ-db/db-Apc(Min/+) (db/db-Min/+) mice developed an increased incidence and multiplicity of adenomas in the intestinal tract when compared to the db/m-Min/+ and m/m-Min/+ mice. Blood biochemical profile showed significant increases in insulin (8.3-fold to 11.7-fold), cholesterol (1.2-fold to 1.7-fold), and triglyceride (1.2-fold to 1.3-fold) in the db/db-Min/+ mice, when compared to those of the db/m-Min/+ and m/m-Min/+ mice. Increases (1.4-fold to 2.6-fold) in RNA levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-1, IRF-1R, and IGF-2 were also observed in the db/db- Min/+ mice. These results suggested that the IGFs, as well as hyperlipidemia and hyperinsulinemia, promoted adenoma formation in the db/db-Min/+ mice. Our results thus suggested that the db/db-Min/+ mice should be invaluable for studies on the pathogenesis of CRC in obese and diabetes patients and the therapy and prevention of CRC in these patients.     

Chirping compensation using a two-section semiconductor laseramplifier

Compensation of light source chirping and optical fiber dispersion using semiconductor laser amplifiers (SLAs) is investigated using a modeling equation that describes the opposite phase characteristics of light sources to SLAs with self phase modulation. A two-section SLA was fabricated in order to achieve an amplifier with both high gain and phase compensation properties. Preliminary experimental results are presented, confirming the theoretically derived phase compensation effect     

Failure analysis of multilevel metallized lsi using optical beam induced current

In order to analyse failures caused in multilevel metallized LSI devices. we developed the OBIC (optical beam induced current) observation technique using an infrared laser incident upon a backside of the chip which appears from a plastic package by being lapped and polished. We analysed the electrical rejects in the reliability stressing of surface mount plastic packages with this technique. The latch-up phenomenon in 4Mbit dynamic RAM with retrograded-well fabricated by a high energy (MeV) ion-implantation was also examined. The high latch-up immunity of the device with retrograded-well is confirmed by this analysis.     

Heat transfer and fluid flow of natural convection along a vertical flat plate in the transition region: experimental analysis of the wall temperature field

Heat transfer and fluid flow of natural convection along a vertical flat plate were experimentally investigated in the transition region. Local heat transfer coefficients along a vertical flat plate were measured to distinguish the first transition region. The wall temperature and fluid flow were then visualized using a liquid crystal sheet and water-soluble fluorescent paint. Also discussed are the characteristic statistical quantities with the aid of visualizations for the velocity and temperature fields. It was revealed from a series of experiments that horseshoe-shaped low-temperature patterns appear on the wall and that they play a significant role in heat transfer. When the data was ensemble-averaged it was found that the characteristic time-and-space scales of the patterns are statistically independent of not only heat flux but also the position in which they occur. Moreover, W-shaped flow patterns, which possess three-dimensional and unstable structures, appear in the near-wall region. They play a significant role in the laminar to turbulent transition.