ERCP and CT findings of ectopic drainage of the common bile duct into the duodenal bulb

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate ERCP and CT findings of ectopic drainage of the common bile duct into the duodenal bulb. CONCLUSION: Although rare, the diagnosis of ectopic drainage of the common bile duct into the duodenal bulb is important to prevent inadvertent damage during biliary tract or gastric surgery and to clarify the cause of chronic peptic ulcers.     

Effect of stents coated with a combination of sirolimus and alpha-lipoic acid in a porcine coronary restenosis model

The aim of this study was to evaluate antiproliferative sirolimus- and antioxidative alpha-lipoic acid (ALA)-eluting stents using biodegradable polymer [poly-l-lactic acid (PLA)] in a porcine coronary overstretch restenosis model. Forty coronary arteries of 20 pigs were randomized into four groups in which the coronary arteries had a bare metal stent (BMS, n = 10), ALA-eluting stent with PLA (AES, n = 10), sirolimus-eluting stent with PLA (SES, n = 10), or sirolimus- and ALA-eluting stent with PLA (SAS, n = 10). A histopathological analysis was performed 28 days after the stenting. The ALA and sirolimus released slowly over 30 days. There were no significant differences between groups in the injury or inflammation score; however, there were significant differences in the percent area of stenosis (56.2 ± 11.78 % in BMS vs. 51.5 ± 12.20 % in AES vs. 34.7 ± 7.23 % in SES vs. 28.7 ± 7.30 % in SAS, P < 0.0001) and fibrin score [1.0 (range 1.0–1.0) in BMS vs. 1.0 (range 1.0–1.0) in AES vs. 2.0 (range 2.0–2.0) in SES vs. 2.0 (range 2.0–2.0) in SAS, P < 0.0001] between the four groups. The percent area of stenosis based on micro-computed tomography corresponded with the restenosis rates based on histopathological stenosis in different proportions in the four groups (54.8 ± 7.88 % in BMS vs. 50.4 ± 14.87 % in AES vs. 34.5 ± 7.22 % in SES vs. 28.9 ± 7.22 % in SAS, P < 0.05). SAS showed a better neointimal inhibitory effect than BMS, AES, and SES at 1 month after stenting in a porcine coronary restenosis model. Therefore, SAS with PLA can be a useful drug combination for coronary stent coating to suppress neointimal hyperplasia.     

An impulse-time perturbation approach for enhancing the robustness of extra-insensitive input shapers

In this paper, perturbation-based extra-insensitive input shapers (PEI-ISs) are proposed to enhance the robustness of the input shaping technique. The extra-insensitive input shaper (EI-IS) has been known to be more robust than the so-called derivative input shapers such as ZVD, ZVDD, and ZVDDD shapers. However, the robustness of the known EI-IS is restricted by the symmetric property in the sensitivity curve. To address this, the PEI-IS is devised by multiplying a series of input shapers in the Laplace domain, of which the impulse times are slightly perturbed from those of the zero vibration (ZV) shaper. For a single-hump case, a closed-form solution to the PEI-IS is provided. For two- and three-hump cases, the approximate solutions are presented. The robustness is evaluated by simulations and assessed by means of the insensitivity. It will be shown that the proposed PEI-IS does improve the robustness and that it can be easily designed.     

An Impulse-time Perturbation Approach for a Symmetric Extra-insensitive Input Shaper

International Journal of Control, Automation and Systems - In this study, symmetric perturbation extra-insensitive input shapers (SPEI-ISs) are proposed to enhance the robustness of the...     

Highly Concentrated Branched Oligosaccharides as Cryoprotectant for Surimi

Freeze-thawing studies at different concentrations, using an actomyosin solution (extracted from Alaska pollock), revealed that an 8% (w/v) solution of oligosaccharides mixture (HBOS) was most effective in cryoprotection. During frozen storage (-18°C), HBOS showed cryoprotective effects similar to sucrose and a sucrose+sorbitol mixture (1:1). Surimi gel prepared with HBOS showed higher hardness and more dense microstructure than others, although water holding capacity was slightly lower than the gel with sucrose+sorbitol. HBOS containing gel showed lower whiteness than sucrose but no difference with sucrose+sorbitol. HBOS appeared to have good potential as a non-sweet cryoprotectant of fish protein.     

Gastrointestinal involvement in Henoch-Sch?nlein syndrome: CT findings

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to describe the CT features of gastrointestinal involvement in seven patients with Henoch-Sch?nlein syndrome. CONCLUSION: Although the incidence of Henoch-Sch?nlein syndrome is low, it should be considered when CT scans show multifocal areas of bowel-wall thickening, mesenteric edema, vascular engorgement, and nonspecific lymphadenopathy. It should be considered especially in young patients with acute gastrointestinal symptoms.     

Biochemical monitoring of black raspberry (Rubus coreanus Miquel) fruits according to maturation stage by H NMR using multiple solvent systems

Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) techniques coupled with multivariate data analysis were used to conduct monitoring of biochemical changes of black raspberry fruits at different stages of maturation and under various extraction and NMR dissolution solvent conditions: extraction with 50% methanol and D₂O as an NMR dissolution solvent, extraction with 50% methanol and 50% methanol-d₄ as an NMR dissolution solvent, and extraction with 100% ethyl acetate and 100% methanol-d₄ as an NMR dissolution solvent. Partial least-squares discriminant analysis reliably distinguished black raspberry fruits according to the maturation stage, whereby the relative levels of various compounds such as amino acids, organic acids, sugars and phenolic compounds were compared using analysis of variance. Sucrose and most of the amino acids, and organic acids decreased, whereas fructose, glucose, and cyanidins increased in relative concentration according to maturation of black raspberry fruits. The total number and kinds of assigned compounds of the three solvent systems were also compared. This research demonstrates that the metabolic profile of black raspberry fruits changes during maturation, and provides objective criteria for determining the stage of black raspberry fruit maturation via a ¹H NMR-based metabolomics technique using multiple solvent systems.     

Electrical properties of ferroelectric SBT thin films prepared using photosensitive sol-gel solution

Self-patterning of thin films using photosensitive sol-gel solution has advantages such as simple manufacturing process compared to photoresist/dry etching process. In this study, ferroelectric Sr_0.9Bi_2.1Ta₂O₉ thin films have been prepared by spin coating method using photosensitive sol-gel solution. Strontium ethoxide, tetramethylheptanedionato bismuth and tantalum ethoxide were used as starting materials. As UV exposure time to the SBT thin film increases, the intensity of UV absorption peak of metal beta-diketonate decreases due to degradation of solubility resulted from Metal-Oxygen-Metal (M–O–M) bond formation. The solubility difference by UV irradiation on SBT thin film allows to obtain a fine patterning of thin film. The ferroelectric properties of the UV irradiated SBT thin films are superior to those of the non-UV irradiated film.     

Extraction of allyl isothiocyanate from wasabi (Wasabia japonica Matsum) using supercritical carbon dioxide

The pungent flavor unique in wasabi is due to isothiocyanates including allyl isothiocyanate (AIT) which has outstanding antimicrobial activity. AIT is converted from sinigrin by enzymatic reaction in the presence of water. The optimum moisture content of wasabi root for supercritical CO₂ extraction (SCE) at 20 MPa and 35°C was found to be 125% dry basis. In the ranges of pressure (15–25 MPa) and temperature (35–55°C), yield of AIT by SCE increased as pressure increased and/or temperature decreased. The highest yield was 408 mg/100 g solid at 25 MPa and 35°C. SCE of AIT from the freeze-dried wasabi root, stem, and leaf at 20 MPa and 35°C resulted in the yields of 368, 39, and 11 mg/100 g solid, respectively. The moisture content of wasabi along with the pressure and temperature were the important parameters in SCE of AIT.     

Crystallographic orientation of ZrB2-ZrC composites manufactured by the spark plasma sintering method

The crystallographic grain orientation of ZrB₂‐ZrC composites manufactured using a spark plasma sintering (SPS) method, a new sintering technique in development for poorly sinterable ceramic materials, was analysed by the scanning electron microscopy‐electron backscattered diffraction (SEM‐EBSD) method. Their crystallographic features have been compared with those of a conventionally sintered specimen using a pressureless sintering (PLS) method. In the composite sintered by PLS, (0001) planes of ZrB₂ were orientated in the direction parallel to the specimen surface (RD) but (101 0) and (211 0) planes randomly orientated. In the case of SPS, (0001) planes of ZrB₂ were orientated normal to the specimen surface (ND) and weakly to the RD. In both cases of PLS and SPS, ZrC grains had a randomly orientated grain structure. The distribution of grain boundary misorientation of PLS and SPS‐processed composites showed the same tendency that high‐angle boundaries were more prevalent than low‐angle boundaries. But in the case of ZrC grains in the SPS sample, the proportion of CSL boundaries with low sigma value (3, 5, 7, 9, 11) was relatively larger.