Technetium-99m tetrofosmin imaging in patients with subacute thyroiditis

We studied the significance of technetium-99m tetrofosmin scintigraphy in patients with subacute thyroiditis (SAT). Six patients with SAT, who had painful goitre with thyrotoxicosis, underwent 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy and 99mTc-tetrofosmin imaging during the acute and recovery stages of SAT. The thyroid uptake ratio of tetrofosmin was compared with the clinical parameters associated with SAT. 99mTc-pertechnetate scintigraphy showed markedly reduced uptake in the thyroid during the acute stage of SAT, suggesting that the appropriate metabolic pathway is not functioning. Conversely, 99mTc-tetrofosmin images showed diffuse increased uptake in the thyroid region on early and delayed imaging. Tetrofosmin images in the acute stage and in the recovery stage of SAT showed different clearance curves for tetrofosmin uptake. The uptake ratio assessed as thyroid uptake/background (T/B) correlated with the serum C-reactive protein concentration. In conclusion, 99mTc-tetrofosmin uptake may reflect the inflammatory process associated with SAT, and thus this tracer may have potential as a marker of disease activity and severity.     

Upward mobilization of 137Cs in surface soils of Chamaecyparis obtusa Sieb. et Zucc. (hinoki) plantation in Japan

The use of 137Cs has recently been adopted to estimate erosion in hinoki plantations in Japan. However, there have been several reports of the upward mobilization of 137Cs in forest humus layers. In this study, the vertical distribution of 137Cs within the soil profile was measured in a hinoki plantation. In order to confirm the upward migration of 137Cs from mineral soil to fresh surface litter and to identify mechanisms of the transfer, changes in 137Cs specific activity in the contents of litterbags were examined in a hinoki plantation. A controlled laboratory experiment was also conducted to assess the effect of microbial activity on the upward migration of 137Cs. As a result, the higher 137Cs activities in the surface organic layer of a hinoki plantation than in fresh litter and the increasing 137Cs total content of litterbags with time demonstrated the upward mobilization of 137Cs from mineral soil to the surface organic layer. Physical movement of soil particles by raindrop splash was considered an important process in 137Cs upward migration. The results of our laboratory experiment indicate an influence from soil microbial activity on the upward mobilization of 137Cs. Thus, upward migration of 137Cs and constant litter removal by runoff may induce 137Cs loss from steep forested catchments and underestimation of the 137Cs inventory leading to the overestimation of soil redistribution rates.     

Dynamic Response of Half-Through Steel Arch Bridge Using Fiber Model

Since the Great Hanshin earthquake, research on seismic investigation has progressed further, as a result of which there has been a lot of improvement in seismic analysis methods along with analysis tools. Recently, a remarkable technique for seismic analysis based on a fiber model has been established. However, it seems that few results of the dynamic analysis using this technique are available because its application to the actual practice, where the dynamic analysis using a constant energy law is not so complicated, is limited. Therefore, a seismic investigation of a real half-through steel arch bridge using a seismic analysis program based on the fiber model has been conducted. In this investigation, material nonlinearity has been implemented and 2D bending along with a change in an axial force has also been considered. In the analysis, the same cyclic loading condition as that used in the testing of specimens has been adopted, and the results obtained from the analysis are verified by the experimental results. In this paper, an outline of the seismic analysis method based on the fiber model along with its verification by the experimental results is described first, then the results of its application to a real half-through steel arch bridge are presented.     

Demand–Supply Balancing Capability Analysis for a Future Power System

Under the anticipated high penetration of variable renewable energy generation such as photovoltaics and higher share of nuclear generation, the issue of supply–demand balancing capability should be evaluated and fixed in a future power system. Improvement of existing balancing measures and new technologies such as demand activation and energy storage are expected to solve the issue. In this situation, a long‐range power system supply–demand analysis should have the capability to evaluate the balancing capability and balancing countermeasures. This paper presents a new analysis methodology of activated demand model and evaluation of supply–demand balancing capability for a long‐range power system demand–supply analysis model, ESPRIT. Model analysis was made to verify the new methodology of the tool including day‐ahead scheduling of a heat pump water heater, an EV/PHEV, and a battery. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Electr Eng Jpn, 186(2): 21–30, 2014; Published online in Wiley Online Library ( wileyonlinelibrary.com ). DOI 10.1002/eej.22488     

Obtaining Highly Active Catalytic Antibodies Capable of Enzymatically Cleaving Antigens

A catalytic antibody has multiple functions compared with a monoclonal antibody because it possesses unique features to digest antigens enzymatically. Therefore, many catalytic antibodies, including their subunits, have been produced since 1989. The catalytic activities often depend on the preparation methods and conditions. In order to elicit the high catalytic activity of the antibodies, the most preferable methods and conditions, which can be generally applicable, must be explored. Based on this view, systematic experiments using two catalytic antibody light chains, #7TR and H34, were performed by varying the purification methods, pH, and chemical reagents. The experimental results obtained by peptidase activity tests and kinetic analysis, revealed that the light chain’s high catalytic activity was observed when it was prepared under a basic condition. These data imply that a small structural modulation of the catalytic antibody occurs during the purification process to increase the catalytic activity while the antigen recognition ability is kept constant. The presence of NaCl enhanced the catalytic activity. When the catalytic light chain was prepared with these preferable conditions, #7TR and H34 hugely enhanced the degradation ability of Amyloid-beta and PD-1 peptide, respectively.     

Aortic root replacement by cryopreserved homograft for prosthetic valve detachment case due to aortitis

On the basis of a number of new rigorously designed controlled studies, there is increasingly less evidence for lipid lowering properties of garlic preparations. Many other aspects of garlic drugs, such as direct effects on vessel walls (aortic elasticity, effects of antioxidant properties on early steps in atherosclerosis formation) or anti-platelet aggregation effects, are still awaiting further elucidation in clinical studies.