Comparison of clinical features and prognosis of cardiac sarcoidosis and idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy

In the present study, clinical findings of 15 patients with cardiac sarcoidosis presenting as dilated cardiomyopathy were compared with those of 30 consecutive patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy. The sarcoidosis patients had different clinical features, including female predominance, a high incidence of grave conduction disturbance and abnormal wall thickness, uneven wall motion abnormalities, and perfusion defects preferentially affecting the anteroseptal and apical regions, and poor prognosis compared with those with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.     

Longitudinal follow-up of pulmonary function after lobectomy in childhood - factors affecting lung growth

We examined the changes in pulmonary function values in 27 patients who underwent a lobectomy due to cystic lung disease and compared the results regarding such factors as disease type, age at operation, and preoperative infections. Percent vital capacity (%VC) decreased immediately after lobectomy, but recovered to normal values within 2 postoperative years and remained within or above the normal range. The ratio of residual volume to total lung capacity (RV/TLC) rose temporally with the increase in %VC, but then remained normal after 2 postoperative years. There was no difference in %VC and RV/TLC between diseases, while bronchial atresia showed a significantly lower correlation with percent of forced expiratory volume at 1 s. The older group operated upon at over 4 years of age and the group that had infections before operation showed relatively low %VC and high RV/TLC. Some patients demonstrated extremely low %VC along with funnel chest deformities. Our study suggests that overinflation of the remaining lung compensates VC in the early period after lobectomy while subsequently alveolar multiplication occurs. Factors affecting compensatory lung growth were considered to be operation later than 4 years of age, preoperative infection, and a thoracic deformity.     

Positive influence of a liaison program on the rate of psychiatric consultation referrals for cancer patients

CD38, a type II transmembrane glycoprotein, behaves as a catalytically active transporter responsible for ectocellular generation of cyclic ADP-ribose (cADPR) from NAD+ and for subsequent influx of cADPR across membranes [Franco, L., Guida, L., Bruzzone, S., Zocchi, E., Usai, C. and De Flora, A. (1998) FASEB J. in press]. cADPR regulates intracellular calcium homeostasis by releasing calcium from responsive stores. The cADPR-transporting function of CD38 requires channel-generating oligomeric forms of the protein rather than the 46 kDa monomers that have been described so far in CD38+ cells. Here we demonstrate that CD38, both in reconstituted proteoliposomes and in CD38-transfected HeLa cells, is a mixture of catalytically active monomers, homodimers and homotetramers. A soluble recombinant form of CD38 corresponding to its ectocellular region proved to be monomeric. Thus, association of native CD38 with either artificial or natural membranes seems to result in a reversible juxtaposition of monomers suitable to cADPR-transporting activity.     

Chrysotile fibers penetrate Escherichia coli cell membrane and cause cell bursting by sliding friction force on agar plates

A mixture (50 microl) consisting of Escherichia coli cells, chrysotile fibers, and 200 mM NaCl was added to 2% agar plates and spread with a plastic stir stick. An apparatus was developed to generate a sliding friction force on the surface of the plate by applying a fixed vertical reaction force to the stir stick while turning the plate. This operation was defined as chrysotile-exposure. The number of living cells, expressed as colony forming units, was reduced in proportion to the duration of chrysotile-exposure. The decrease in the number of living cells was greater following 120 s of chrysotile-exposure than crocidolite- or amosite-exposure. There was no decrease in the number of living cells exposed to chrysotile on 0.5% agar even after 120 s. The number of living cells after chrysotile-exposure decreased with increasing chrysotile concentration. Leakage of beta-galactosidase from cells increased with increasing duration of chrysotile-exposure. Transmission and scanning electron microscopy observation of E. coli revealed chrysotile penetration of the cell membrane. These results show that chrysotile fibers destroy cells by penetration. The driving force for the chrysotile penetration was the sliding friction force, as the number of living cells following chrysotile-exposure decreased with increasing exposure times, but did not decrease following chrysotile-exposure on a low concentration of agar, which provided cells with low sliding friction force.     

Estimation of daily dietary intake of aluminum

The daily dietary intake of aluminum was estimated through a total diet study from 1996 to 1998. In ten institutes, total diet study samples were prepared and their aluminum concentration was determined. The average daily intake of aluminum was 3.5 mg and the range was 1.8-8.4 mg. The validity of the analytical result was supported by analyses of certified reference materials.     

Investigation of Initial Transient Oxidation of Fe–<Emphasis Type="Italic">x</Emphasis>Cr–6at.%Al Alloys Using Synchrotron Radiation During Heating to 1000 °C in Air

To understand the role of composition in the oxidation behavior of Ti–Mo system and to evaluate the extent of oxygen ingress into the metal substrate during high temperature exposure, a compositionally graded Ti–xMo specimen (0 ≤ x ≤ 12 wt% Mo) was prepared using an additive manufacturing technique, solutionized and then subjected to oxidation tests at 650 °C for different exposure times. The depth of oxygen diffusion, across the composition range, was assessed via change in the local hardness and the results were coupled with quantitative measurement of the oxygen concentration. The concentration of O in the α phase was reduced by 90 % after a short distance of 16 μm from the metal/oxide interface while it remained more or less the same in β phase. The solubility of Mo in α phase also approached zero near the surface as O changed the partition coefficient of this element between α and β phases. It was shown that the addition of Mo reduces the solubility of O in the metal substrate which in turn retards the transition point from parabolic to the linear oxidation stage.     

In situ measurement of Young’s modulus of FeO scale formed on pure iron at 973–1273 K by acoustic resonance method

The Young’s modulus of FeO scales formed on a pure iron bar was measured at temperatures between 973 and 1273 K. The FeO was formed with charging 4.2 × 10⁻⁴ mol of oxygen gas five times into a reaction chamber. During the growth of FeO, a sinusoidal vibration signal was applied to the bar. The vibration force and the acceleration of the oxidised iron bar were measured in situ in order to obtain resonance frequencies. The Young’s modulus of FeO, as estimated at oxidation temperatures of 973, 1173, and 1273 K, was 98.6, 75.9, and 83.4 GPa, respectively.     

Structural properties of trypsin from cold-adapted fish,arabesque greenling (<Emphasis Type="Italic">Pleurogrammus azonus</Emphasis>)

A cDNA clone encoding trypsin (AG-T) was isolated from the pyloric ceca of cold-adapted fish, arabesque greenling (Pleurogrammus azonus). The cDNA was composed of 892 bp with an open reading frame of 729 bp at nucleotide positions 25–753. Similar to all the known trypsin, the AG-T seemed to be synthesized as preproenzyme that contains a hydrophobic signal peptide, an activation pentapeptide and a mature trypsin of 222 amino acid residues. The AG-T also completely conserved the major structural features common to trypsin such as the catalytic triad (His57, Asp102, and Ser195), the obligatory Asp189 and twelve Cys residues. On the other hand, the AG-T possessed the deletion of Tyr151 and substitution of Pro152 for Gly in the autolysis loop when aligned with the sequence of tropical-zone fish and bovine trypsins. In addition, Val75 concerned in a combination with calcium ion was exchanged for Ala in the AG-T, and the content of positively charged amino acid residues at the calcium-binding site of the AG-T was three times higher than those of tropical-zone fish trypsins. Moreover, the ratio between charged and hydrophobic amino acid residues in the N-terminal region of the AG-T was also higher than those of temperate-zone fish and tropical-zone fish trypsins. Such structural properties of the AG-T would contribute to its low thermostability.