Enhanced osteoblast and osteoclast responses to a thin film sputtered hydroxyapatite coating

A sputtering technique followed by a low temperature hydrothermal treatment has been demonstrated to produce a dense-and-bioactive hydroxyapatite thin film coating. The purpose of the present study was to investigate osteoblast and osteoclast responses to the hydroxyapatite coated plates and titanium plates with similar roughness. Rat bone marrow stromal cells were cultured on these plates to induce osteoblasts. The cells showed a significantly enhanced proliferation on the hydroxyapatite surface, accompanied by increase of osteoblastic phenotypes. The co-cultured osteoclasts exhibited the significantly different cell number and morphology between the hydroxyapatite and the titanium surfaces. A series of osteoclast marker genes were more stimulated on the hydroxyapatite and thirty two percent of the hydroxyapatite surface area could be resorbed by osteoclasts. The thin film sputtered hydroxyapatite could provide a favorable surface for both osteoblast and osteoclast formation and their function, indicating its good osteoconductivity and biodegradability.     

Dynamical Transition of 4He Crystallization in a Very High Porosity Aerogel

Crystallization of ⁴He in aerogels of 90 and 96% porosities shows a dynamical phase transition at around 600 mK due to the competition between thermal fluctuation and disorder: crystals grow via creep at high temperatures and via avalanche at low temperatures. In a very high porosity 99.5% aerogel, however, the transition had not been observed in our previous publication (Nomura et al. in Phys. Rev. Lett. 101:175703, 2008). We improved the spatial resolution of the video image and found that the 99.5% aerogel did have the transition at around 200 mK, which is much lower than those of the lower porosities. The avalanche size is significantly smaller in the 99.5% aerogel. The reduction in the transition temperature and avalanche size may be the consequence of weaker disorder for the crystallization in the very high porosity aerogel.     

Effects of photoirradiation in UV and VUV regions during plasma exposure to polymers

Interactions between photons irradiated from Ar-O₂ mixture plasmas and polymer surfaces were investigated on the basis of depth analyses of chemical bonding states in the nano-surface layer of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) films via hard X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (HXPES) and conventional X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS). The PET films were exposed to photons from the Ar-O₂ mixture plasmas by covering the PET samples with MgF₂ and quartz windows as optical filters for evaluation of photoirradiation effects in ultraviolet (UV) and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) regions. The HXPES results indicated that the degradation of the chemical bonding states due to photoirradiation in regions was insignificant in deeper regions up to about 50 nm from the surface. Whereas, conventional XPS analysis showed that CO bond, OCO bond and CO bond increased after photoirradiation in UV and VUV regions. These results suggest that the increase in oxygen functionalities (CO bond, OCO bond and CO bond) may be attributed to chemical reactions and/or terminations of scissed bonds via photodecompositions of the polymer with oxygen and/or OH species (oxygen molecules and radicals during plasma exposure and/or oxygen molecules and moisture after taking the PET samples out of the plasma reactor to the ambient air) in the vicinity of the sample surface.     

Computation of mutual entropy in quantum markov chains

There are several damping phenomena in quantum optics. Such phenomena have been usually explained by open systems. In statistical physics, open system dynamics have been used to study the irreversibility and the approach to equilibrium. In this paper, the dynamical change of the mutual entropy for an open system, frequently studied in the quantum optics literature, is rigorously computed through a model of quantum Markov chain. In particular, the concrete formula of Stinespring expression for such a model is obtained and applied to the derivation of the mutual entropy, and some computational results are presented.     

Multimedia services in the HDTV MUSE system

Experimental equipment to investigate multimedia service functions for application to MUSE (multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding) HDTV broadcasting has been developed. This system is called the multimedia MUSE system. Programs have also been produced to evaluate service functions of the system taking into account the capacity of the transmission path. This paper describes the configuration of the multimedia MUSE System, service examples, and evaluation of transmission capacity making use of test programs. Our studies reveal that multimedia broadcasting services can be provided when storage memory is installed for achieving interactive viewing and multimedia programs are appropriately configured. In addition, the services described here will provide the basic concept for multimedia broadcasting in future digital broadcasts     

Intrathoracic vagal nerve schwannoma preoperative diagnosis is correct because of clinical and characteristic CT findings--a case report and review of the literature

BACKGROUND: Blister formation and tissue damage in bullous pemphigoid have been attributed to the release of eosinophil granule proteins--namely, to eosinophil derived cationic protein (ECP) and major basic protein (MBP). In the present investigation these eosinophil granule proteins were studied in the conjunctiva of patients with ocular cicatricial pemphigoid (OCP). METHODS: Conjunctival biopsy specimens obtained from patients with subacute (n = 8) or chronic conjunctival disease (n = 13) were analysed histologically and immunohistochemically using antibodies directed against EG1 (stored and secreted ECP), EG2 (secreted ECP), MBP, CD45 (common leucocyte antigen), CD3 (pan T cell marker), and HLA-DR (class II antigen). RESULTS: Subepithelial mononuclear cells, mast cells, and neutrophils were detected in all specimens. The number of mononuclear cells, neutrophils, CD45+ cells, CD3+ cells, and the HLA-DR expression were significantly higher in the subacute than in the chronic disease group. Some eosinophils were found in specimens from five of eight patients with subacute OCP, but in none of the patients with chronic disease. The eosinophil granule proteins (ECP and MBP) were found in the epithelium and substantia propria in patients with subacute conjunctivitis. CONCLUSIONS: Subepithelial cell infiltration in the conjunctiva greatly differs between subacute and chronic ocular cicatricial pemphigoid specimens. The findings suggest that eosinophil granule proteins may participate in tissue damage in acute phase of inflammation in OCP.     

Images in cardiovascular medicine. Primary cardiac B-cell lymphoma

This article describes a procedure for making an interocclusal record for a remount procedure after tryin of the castings. This method can also be used for the initial mounting by substituting autopolymerizing acrylic resin copings for the metal castings.     

Involvement of Rabphilin3 in endocytosis through interaction with Rabaptin5

Rabphilin3 and rabaptin5 are downstream target molecules of the Rab3 and -5 subfamily small G proteins that are implicated in exocytosis and endocytosis, respectively. We examined here the physical and functional relationship between the Rab3-rabphilin3 and Rab5-rabaptin5 systems. Rabphilin3 interacted with rabaptin5 at the N-terminal region (amino acids 1-280), which GTP-Rab3A interacted with. The interaction of rabphilin3 with rabaptin5 was inhibited by guanosine 5'-(3-O-thio)triphosphate-Rab3A. Overexpression of the N-terminal fragment of rabphilin3 (amino acids 1-280) inhibited the receptor-mediated endocytosis of transferrin, and this inhibition was overcome by co-transfection with a dominant active mutant of Rab3A or rabaptin5 in PC12 and HeLa cells. These results suggest that rabphilin3, free of GTP-Rab3A, regulates endocytosis through interaction with rabaptin5 after rabphilin3 complexed with GTP-Rab3A regulates exocytosis.