Specific changes in human brain following reperfusion after cardiac arrest

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Very few reports are available on serial changes in human brain after cardiac arrest. The primary objective of this study is to investigate sequential neuroradiological changes in patients remaining in a persistent vegetative state following resuscitation after cardiac arrest. METHODS: We repeatedly studied eight vegetative patients resuscitated from unexpected out-of-hospital cardiac arrest using computed tomographic (CT) scanning and high-field magnetic resonance (MR) imaging at 1.5 T. RESULTS: In seven of the eight patients, CT scans obtained between days 2 and 6 features symmetrical low-density lesions in the bilateral caudate, lenticular, and/or thalamic nuclei. These ischemic lesions were persistently of low density on serial CT scans. In these seven patients, MR images demonstrated what were thought to be hemoglobin degradation products derived from minor hemorrhages localized in the bilateral basal ganglia, thalami, and/or substantia nigra. Diffuse brain edema in the acute stage and diffuse brain atrophy in the chronic stage were consistent neuroradiological findings. No abnormal enhanced lesions were demonstrated by CT scans. CONCLUSIONS: The most characteristic findings on high-field MR images were symmetrical lesions in the bilateral basal ganglia, thalami, and/or substantia nigra with specific changes suggestive of minor hemorrhages that were not evident on CT scans. We speculate that these minor hemorrhages result from diapedesis of red blood cells in these regions during the reperfusion period through the endothelium disrupted by ischemia-reperfusion insult.     

Prolonged exposure to intravesical foreign body induces a giant calculus with attendant renal dysfunction

A 31-year-old man came to our hospital complaining of severe voiding pain. He had inserted a fishing line made of nylon into his urethra at the age of eighteen, which was unable to be taken out and had been left there for 13 years. Preoperative ultrasonogram showed severe bilateral hydronephrosis and the serum BUN and creatinine level were as high as 45.2 mg/dl and 4.8 mg/dl, respectively. A huge bladder stone was demonstrated in X-ray film, the patient was admitted and vesicolithotomy was performed. The size of the stone was 10.5 x 7.5 x 7.5 cm and the weight was 360 grams. The fishing line was found inside the stone and the length was over 3 meters. The serum BUN and creatinine level after the operation were still high as 28.4 mg/dl and 4.1 mg/dl, respectively, and they did not improve even after six months following.     

The tomato DWARF enzyme catalyses C-6 oxidation in brassinosteroid biosynthesis

Brassinosteroids (BRs) are steroidal plant hormones essential for normal plant growth and development. Mutants in the biosynthesis or perception of BRs are usually dwarf. The tomato Dwarf gene (D), which was predicted to encode a cytochrome P450 enzyme (P450) with homology to other P450s involved in BR biosynthesis, was cloned previously. Here, we show that DWARF catalyses the C-6 oxidation of 6-deoxocastasterone (6-deoxoCS) to castasterone (CS), the immediate precursor of brassinolide. To do this, we first confirmed that the D cDNA complemented the mutant light- and dark-grown phenotypes of the extreme dwarf (dx) allele of tomato. To identify a substrate for the DWARF enzyme, exogenous application of BR intermediates to dx plants was carried out. C-6 oxoBR intermediates enhanced hypocotyl elongation whereas the C-6 deoxoBR, 6-deoxoCS, had little effect. Quantitative analysis of endogenous BR levels in tomato showed mainly the presence of 6-deoxoBRs. Furthermore, dx plants were found to lack CS and had a high level of 6-deoxoCS in comparison to D plants that had CS and a lower level of 6-deoxoCS. Confirmation that DWARF catalyzed the C-6 oxidation of 6-deoxoCS to CS was obtained by functional expression of DWARF in yeast. In these experiments, the intermediate 6alpha-hydroxycastasterone was identified, indicating that DWARF catalyzes two steps in BR biosynthesis. These data show that DWARF is involved in the C-6 oxidation in BR biosynthesis.     

Challenges to the Carbon Dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) Technology

Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, which is one of the technologies against global warming, applied to the separation and capture of CO₂ gas and finally storage underground is attracting attention. There are several technologies being developed for CO₂ separation and capture, namely the chemical absorption method, physical absorption method, adsorbing separation method and membrane separation method. These are being developed to apply to postcombustion capture, oxyfuel postcombustion capture, etc. With regard to the CO₂ storage technologies, the method of injection into an aquifer is being developed as the major one, and studies on issues for actual technical application are being conducted in the form of engineering study on the assumed model area. In this report, our expectations toward actual application of the CCS technology, the trends of the CCS technology and other related matters are introduced. Copyright © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Hydrothermal treatment of glycine and adiabatic expansion cooling: implications for prebiotic synthesis of biopolymers

There have been several studies on biopolymer synthesis under hydrothermal conditions. The conventional hydrothermal methods make it possible to synthesize only a dipeptide and short oligopeptides as well as cyclo-dimer, from amino acids. As these studies that were applied with various quenching methods suggested the importance of quenching rate from hydrothermal conditions, rapid quenching could avoid hydrolysis of the oligomers that had already been synthesized under hydrothermal conditions. In this study, therefore, we designed a novel hydrothermal flow reactor adopted with adiabatic expansion cooling system from the reason that it was thought to be one of the most rapid quenching methods. It mimics geysers, fumaroles, hot springs, and volcanic eruptions. Once aqueous solutions of monomers were treated at high temperature and pressure, the solutions were released into the atmosphere through an orifice to be depressurized and cooled down simultaneously with the Joule–Thomson effect. We demonstrated oligomerization of glycine up to decamer (Gly₁₀) by using the flow reactor, which had never been yielded with any other quenching methods. This suggests that rapid quenching methods under non-equilibrium conditions such as adiabatic expansion cooling is an efficient way to produce long oligomers connected by covalent bonds via dehydration condensation.     

Basic characteristics of Ar/N2 atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium microwave discharge plasma jets

To understand the mechanism of surface processing by atmospheric pressure nonequilibrium microwave discharge plasma jets of coaxial type without a resonator, we measured the vibrational and rotational temperatures in plasmas using optical emission spectroscopy. The plasma was excited by a microwave power supply, using a gas mixture of Ar and N₂ as the plasma gas, and changing the flow rate of N₂ gas. We also measured the change in the contact angle of a PET film before and after the plasma processing. It decreased as the plasma rotational temperature increased, indicating that the hydrophilicity of the PET surface was improved as the plasma rotational temperature became higher. © 2007 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.     

Quantitative measurement of hard x-ray spectra for high intensity laser produced plasma

X-ray line spectra ranging from 17 to 77 keV were quantitatively measured with a Laue spectrometer, composed of a cylindrically curved crystal and a detector. Either a visible CCD detector coupled with a CsI phosphor screen or an imaging plate can be chosen, depending on the signal intensities and exposure times. The absolute sensitivity of the spectrometer system was calibrated using pre-characterized laser-produced x-ray sources and radioisotopes. The integrated reflectivity for the crystal is in good agreement with predictions by an open code for x-ray diffraction. The energy transfer efficiency from incident laser beams to hot electrons, as the energy transfer agency for specific x-ray line emissions, is derived as a consequence of this work.     

Ozonation of N-Nitrosamines in the Reverse Osmosis Concentrate from Water Recycling Applications

This study aims to evaluate the performance of ozone treatment for removing N-nitrosamines from reverse osmosis (RO) concentrate in water recycling applications. In the absence of any N-nitrosamine precursors, the destruction efficiency of N-nitrosamines was dependent on their molecular weight or the length of the alkyl chain in their molecular structure. Experiments conducted with RO concentrate showed that ozonation could lead to the formation of N-nitrosodimethylamine (NDMA) and N-nitrosodiethylamine (NDEA), resulting in an increase in concentrations of these N-nitrosamines. Nevertheless, ozonation was effective for destruction of N-nitrosamines with molecular weight greater than that of NDEA (102 g/mol).     

用半主动控制悬架改进半挂汽车列车驾驶室的乘坐舒适性

提出加速度阻尼控制新方法，该方法具有传统的阻尼控制方法同等的振动控制效果，而且具有对传感器和控制测量系统的误差不敏感的优点；建立了九自由度半挂汽车列车振动模型，针对半挂汽车列车的驾驶室俯仰振动是影响乘坐舒适性的主要因素的特点，提出了考虑俯仰角振动的加速度阻尼控制方法，计算机模拟计算结果表明，驾驶室的乘坐舒适性得到显著改善。     

Surface modification of poly(ethylene terephthalate) by plasma polymerization of poly(ethylene glycol)

Poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG) was ‘polymerized’ onto poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET) surface by radio frequency (RF) plasma polymerization of PEG (average molecular weight 200 Da) at a monomer vapour partial pressure of 10 Pa. Thin films strongly adherent onto PET could be produced by this method. The modified surface was characterized by infra red (IR) spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), cross-cut test, contact angle measurements and static platelet adhesion studies. The modified surface, believed to be extensively cross-linked, however showed all the chemical characteristics of PEG. The surface was found to be highly hydrophilic as evidenced by an interfacial free energy of about 0.7 dynes/cm. AFM studies showed that the surface of the modified PET became smooth by the plasma polymerized deposition. Static platelet adhesion studies using platelet rich plasma (PRP) showed considerably reduced adhesion of platelets onto the modified surface by SEM. Plasma ‘polymerization’ of a polymer such as PEG onto substrates may be a novel and interesting strategy to prepare PEG-like surfaces on a variety of substrates since the technique allows the formation of thin, pin-hole free, strongly adherent films on a variety of substrates.