AbstractObjectives. Volume and bone quality of peri-implant supporting bone, in particular, at implant neck region, as well as bone-implant contact ratio, is important for long-term stability of ...implants. Ultraviolet-C (UVC) irradiation is known to enhance the osseointegration capability of titanium implants. However, the histological determination was performed only on a rat model, but not pre-clinical animal model such as a rabbit model. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of UVC irradiation on titanium implants on the volume and mineral density of peri-implant supporting bone formation in a rabbit femur model. Materials and methods. Acid-etched pure titanium screw implants with or without 3 mW/cm2 UVC irradiation for 48 h were placed in rabbit femur diaphyses. Peri-implant bone tissue formation was analyzed at 3 and 8 weeks post-operatively by histology and micro-CT-based bone morphometry after calibration with hydroxyl apatite phantoms. Results. UVC pre-irradiated implants accumulated a higher density of cells and thicker and longer bone tissue attachments that continued into the inner basic lamellae of the surface of existing cortical bone at 3 and 8 weeks than the implants without irradiation. Although the bone mineral density around both implants was equivalent to that of the existing cortical bone, bone volume was greater with UVC pre-irradiation in two-thirds or more of the apical region throughout the observation period. Conclusions. These results indicate that UVC treatment increased the volume of cortical-like bone tissue in the coronal region of titanium implants without deterioration of bone mineral density.
The effects of reducing dietary crude protein (CP) in a high temperature environment (32ºC) on growth performance and back fat deposition were investigated in finishing pigs. Twelve barrows (80.9 ± ...7.6 kg) were allotted randomly to two dietary regimens (13.9% CP vs 11.8% CP) and were fed the diets for 4 weeks. The low-CP diet (11.8% CP) was supplemented with amino acids to meet the nutritional requirements. At the end of the experiment, back fat thickness, plasma urea nitrogen, and amino acid concentration were measured for all the barrows. The dietary CP level did not have any effect on growth performance, back fat thickness, or the plasma urea nitrogen concentration of the finishing pigs. Plasma free lysine, threonine, and methionine concentrations were higher in pigs that were fed the lowCP diet. These results indicate that reducing dietary CP by two percentage points does not alleviate the negative effect of heat stress and may not affect fat deposition.
This experiment was conducted to study the effects of fasting and refeeding on expression of the atrogin-1 and Akt/FOXO signaling pathway in skeletal muscle of chicks. Chicks were fasted for 24 h and ...refed for 2 h. Atrogin-1 mRNA expression was increased by fasting, and their increment was reduced by refeeding. Phosphorylations of Akt and FOXO1 were not decreased by fasting, but, they were increased by refeeding. These results indicate that refeeding stimulates phosphorylation of Akt/FOXO, resulting in a decrease in atrogin-1 expression in skeletal muscle of chicks.
ABSTRACT
An ELISA that measures anti‐PT IgG antibody has been used widely for the serodiagnosis of pertussis; however, the IgG‐based ELISA is inadequate for patients during the acute phase of the ...disease because of the slow response of anti‐PT IgG antibodies. To solve this problem, we developed a novel IgM‐capture ELISA that measures serum anti‐Bordetella pertussis Vag8 IgM levels for the accurate and early diagnosis of pertussis. First, we confirmed that Vag8 was highly expressed in all B. pertussis isolates tested (n = 30), but little or none in other Bordetella species, and that DTaP vaccines did not induce anti‐Vag8 IgG antibodies in mice (i.e. the antibody level could be unaffected by the vaccination). To determine the immune response to Vag8 in B. pertussis infection, anti‐Vag8 IgM levels were compared between 38 patients (acute phase of pertussis) and 29 healthy individuals using the anti‐Vag8 IgM‐capture ELISA. The results revealed that the anti‐Vag8 IgM levels were significantly higher in the patients compared with the healthy individuals (P < 0.001). ROC analysis also showed that the anti‐Vag8 IgM‐capture ELISA has higher diagnostic accuracy (AUC, 0.92) than a commercial anti‐PT IgG ELISA kit. Moreover, it was shown that anti‐Vag8 IgM antibodies were induced earlier than anti‐PT IgG antibodies on sequential patients’ sera. These data indicate that our novel anti‐Vag8 IgM‐capture ELISA is a potentially useful tool for making the accurate and early diagnosis of B. pertussis infection.
Full text
Available for:
BFBNIB, FZAB, GIS, IJS, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
Adrenal toxicity is one of the major concerns in drug development. To quantitatively understand the effect of endocrine-active compounds on adrenal steroidogenesis and to assess the human adrenal ...toxicity of novel pharmaceutical drugs, we developed a mathematical model of steroidogenesis in human adrenocortical carcinoma NCI-H295R cells. The model includes cellular proliferation, intracellular cholesterol translocation, diffusional transport of steroids, and metabolic pathways of adrenal steroidogenesis, which serially involve steroidogenic proteins and enzymes such as StAR, CYP11A1, CYP17A1, HSD3B2, CYP21A2, CYP11B1, CYP11B2, HSD17B3, and CYP19A1. It was reconstructed in an experimental dynamics of cholesterol and 14 steroids from an in vitro steroidogenesis assay using NCI-H295R cells. Results of dynamic sensitivity analysis suggested that HSD3B2 plays the most important role in the metabolic balance of adrenal steroidogenesis. Based on differential metabolic profiling of 12 steroid hormones and 11 adrenal toxic compounds, we could estimate which steroidogenic enzymes were affected in this mathematical model. In terms of adrenal steroidogenic inhibitors, the predicted action sites were approximately matched to reported target enzymes. Thus, our computer-aided system based on systems biological approach may be useful to understand the mechanism of action of endocrine-active compounds and to assess the human adrenal toxicity of novel pharmaceutical drugs.
Full text
Available for:
FZAB, GIS, IJS, IZUM, KILJ, NLZOH, NUK, OILJ, PILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBMB, UL, UM, UPUK
The low cost, environmental harmless Cu
2ZnSnS
4 (CZTS)-based thin film solar cells are fabricated by using abundant materials. The CZTS film possesses promising characteristic optical properties; ...band-gap energy of about 1.5 eV and large absorption coefficient in the order of 10
4 cm
−
1
. All constituents of this CZTS film, which are abundant in the crust of the earth, are non-toxic. Therefore, if we can use CZTS film practically as the absorber of solar cells, we will be free from both of the resource saving problem and the environmental pollution.
In our CZTS project, CZTS absorber films were prepared by two independent techniques. One is three rf sources co-sputtering followed by annealing in sulfurized atmosphere. The latest conversion efficiency of over 6.7% was achieved by this technique. The other is co-evaporation technique. CZTS films were grown on Si (100) by vacuum co-evaporation using elemental Cu, Sn, S and binary ZnS as sources. XRD patterns indicated that the polycrystalline growth was suppressed and the orientational growth was relatively induced in a film grown at higher temperatures.
In this presentation, the development of CZTS-based thin film solar cells will be surveyed.
Full text
Available for:
GEOZS, IJS, IMTLJ, KILJ, KISLJ, NUK, OILJ, PNG, SAZU, SBCE, SBJE, UL, UM, UPCLJ, UPUK
A broadband differential-line-to-waveguide transition covering the 260-300 GHz band was developed in this study. This transition consists of a differential line inserted from the narrow wall of the ...waveguide that excites an X-shaped patch located at the waveguide center. As the two corners of the patch are excited electromagnetically via differential signal lines in the opposite phase, orthogonal current components that radiate the TE10 mode into the waveguide are generated. Broadband operation is achieved via the double resonance of the X-shaped patch and a cavity formed by the via-hole arrangement with apertures patterned in a multi-layer substrate. The transition geometries are optimized via electromagnetic simulation using a finite element method. Transition performance is evaluated through measurements and simulations.
PDF
