Ovarian endometrioid adenocarcinoma coexistent with benign and borderline endometrioid adenofibroma: a case report

The immunopharmacological profile of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in DA rats was compared to that in Lewis rats, which are commonly used for the study of EAE. DA rats showed higher susceptibility to EAE than Lewis rats. The immunological studies indicate that DA rats showed higher humoral and cellular immune response to myelin basic protein (MBP) than Lewis rats. This is probably due to the susceptible T cells to mitogen and autoreactive T cells to MBP in DA rats. In pharmacological studies, cyclosporin A, FK-506 and prednisolone suppressed the development of EAE in both strains in a similar manner. These results suggest the existence of two different types of T cells with respect to the onset of EAE in DA rats: one is highly reactive to mitogen and MBP; the other is regulated by cyclosporin A and FK-506.     

PFC emission‐reduction strategy for the LCD industry

Abstract— The perfluorocarbons (PFCs) used as etching‐process and chamber‐cleaning gases in the manufacture of LCD devices have a high global‐warming potential and a long atmospheric lifetime. Thus, to voluntarily reduce these environmentally harmful PFCs, in 2001 the Japanese LCD association established the World LCD Industry Cooperation Committee (WLICC), together with its counterpart associations in the Republic of Korea and Taiwan. Since that time involving many discussions, the WLICC reached a consensus on reducing the aggregate absolute PFC emissions to the equivalent of less than 0.82 million metric tons of carbon by 2010. Each association has been taking whatever emission reduction steps it considers best to achieve this goal. Thanks to these measures, the PFC emissions from the Japanese LCD industry have remained at the same level, or less, than those of the year 2000, in spite of the fact that PFC purchases have continually increased. In the interim, the Japanese LCD association has been obtaining experimental data for the 2006 IPCC Inventory Guidelines, which will give the emission factors needed to estimate the PFC emissions. As a result, some data are quite different from emission factors given in the current 2000 Inventory Guidelines. All the data obtained have been submitted to the IPCC to be adopted in the new 2006 Guidelines.     

Reliability of rare-earth-doped fluoride fibers for optical fiberamplifier application

We have clarified the strength and estimated lifetime of fluoride fibers for optical amplifier use. We fabricated a UV-curable epoxy-acrylate coated fluoride fiber with a strength of 542 MPa. We estimated the lifetime of the fluoride fiber to be longer than 25 years at 80°C and 50% RH     

Comparative study of oral and parenteral administration of sho-saiko-to (xiao-chaihu-tang) extract on D-galactosamine-induced liver injury in rats

The preventive effect of Sho-saiko-to (Xiao-Chaihu-Tang) extract (TJ-9) on the progression of D-galactosamine (GaIN)-induced liver injury was examined in five week-old male Wistar rats with oral (p.o.) or intraperitoneal (i.p.) administration of the same dose of TJ-9. Rats treated once with GaIN (500 mg/kg body weight, i.p.) received TJ-9 at a dose of 1.0 g/kg body weight (p.o. or i.p.) 2 hours after GaIN treatment at which time an apparent liver injury occurred. Both p.o. and i.p. administration of TJ-9 showed similar significant prevention against the progression of liver injury 24 hours after GaIN injection. Although total protein and albumin concentrations in serum and protein concentration in the liver decreased with the progression of GaIN-induced liver injury, oral or i.p. administration of TJ-9 prevented these decreases in similar degree. However, decreases in serum and liver triglyceride concentration with the progression of liver injury were not attenuated after p.o. or i.p. administration of TJ-9. The activities of liver 5'-nucleotidase and glucose-6-phosphatase, marker enzymes of liver plasma and microsomal membranes, respectively, decreased during the progression of liver injury. A similar preventive effect on the decrease of both enzyme activities was found after p.o. or i.p. administration of TJ-9. These results indicate that the preventive effect on progression of GaIN-induced liver injury by oral or i.p. administration is approximately equal, and that the effect may be through improving the impaired liver protein synthesis and disrupted liver plasma and microsomal membranes in a similar degree.     

Development of a new design simulator for poly‐Si TFTs to optimize the lightly doped drain structure

A new design simulator to simulate the characteristics of poly‐Si TFTs taking into account its physical structure was developed. By using the simulator, we can optimize the length and the sheet resistance of the LDD region in order to obtain sufficient ON currents and to suppress OFF currents under both dark and illuminated conditions.     

A case of primary malignant lymphoma of the bladder

There are few reports of the sonographic appearance of Meckel's diverticulum. We present a case of torsion of a Meckel's diverticulum that was suggested by sonography and confirmed pathologically. We discuss the sonographic differential diagnosis, which includes acute appendicitis, enteric duplication cyst and intestinal volvulus.     

Bonding characteristics and diffusion barrier effect of the TiC phase formed at the bonding interface in an explosively welded titanium/high- carbon steel clad

Microstructural aspects and bonding characteristics of the explosively welded titanium/high-carbon steel clad of the as-welded and postannealed states were investigated. Amorphous and βTi phases were observed at the interface in the as-welded clad. These were considered to be the trace of melting and subsequently rapid solidification of thin layers along the contact surface of both the parent materials. The melting layer was considered to be responsible for the substantial bonding. The TiC layer was formed at the bonding interface by postannealing, which served as a barrier for diffusion of species across the interface and suppressed the formation of Fe-Ti intermetallic compounds. As a result, high bonding strength was preserved even after prolonged annealing at elevated temperatures.     

A novel nonsense mutation associated with an exon skipping in a patient with hereditary protein S deficiency type I

The genetic defect in a patient with hereditary type I protein S (PS) deficiency was investigated. All the exons and intron-exon junctions of the patient's PS gene were amplified by PCR and subjected to heteroduplex screening. Only the PCR product of exon 4 revealed heteroduplex bands. A novel nonsense mutation, Ser62 (TCA) to Stop (TGA) was found in exon 4. RT-PCR detected the aberrant mRNA in the patient's platelets, which was markedly reduced in amount and lacked the region of exon 4, suggesting that the nonsense mutation affected the mutated mRNA metabolism and induced exon skipping. The skipping of exon 4 causes an in-frame deletion of 29 amino acids which just construct the thrombin-sensitive region of the PS molecule. The loss of such an important domain as well as the quantitative decrease in the mutated mRNA appear to be responsible for the type I PS deficiency in this patient.     

Effect of albumin on the absorption of phenol red, bromphenol blue and bromosulphonphthalein as model drugs from the liver surface membrane in rats

The effect of bovine serum albumin (BSA) on drug absorption from the liver surface in rats was examined by using three organic anions (phenol red, bromphenol blue and bromosulphonphthalein) as model drugs which have a high affinity for albumin. The binding ratio of the model drugs (3 mg/ml in phosphate buffer) to BSA varied widely at a BSA concentration of 0.1--10% (w/v). The model drugs (3 mg/ml x 0.1 ml) with or without BSA were applied to the rat liver surface in vivo employing a cylindrical glass cell (i.d. 9 mm, area 0.64 cm2). The absorption ratios of the model drugs from the rat liver surface at 6h, calculated from the amount recovered from the glass cell, decreased with an increase in BSA concentration. A similar trend was observed with biliary recovery of the model drugs. A marked reduction in the absorption ratio was seen with bromosulphonphthalein, which has the highest binding activity to BSA among the three organic anions. Accordingly, protein binding appears to be a significant factor with respect to the drug absorption from the liver surface.