Spirometry values may be expressed as T-scores in standard deviation units relative to a reference in a young, normal population as an analogy to the T-score for bone mineral density. This study was ...performed to develop the spirometry T-score.
T-scores were calculated from lambda-mu-sigma-derived Z-scores using a young, normal age reference. Three outcomes of all-cause death, respiratory death, and COPD death were evaluated in 9,101 US subjects followed for 10 years; an outcome of COPD-related health care utilization (COPD utilization) was evaluated in 1,894 Korean subjects followed for 4 years.
The probability of all-cause death appeared to remain nearly zero until -1 of forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) T-score but increased steeply where FEV1 T-score reached below -2.5. Survival curves for all-cause death, respiratory death, COPD death, and COPD utilization differed significantly among the groups when stratified by FEV1 T-score (P<0.001). The adjusted hazard ratios of the FEV1 T-score for the four outcomes were 0.54 (95% confidence interval, 0.48-0.60), 0.43 (95% CI: 0.37-0.50), 0.30 (95% CI: 0.24-0.37), and 0.69 (95% CI: 0.59-0.81), respectively, adjusting for covariates (P<0.001).
The spirometry T-score could predict all-cause death, respiratory death, COPD death, and COPD utilization.
The aging process is known to be regulated by specific genes in various organisms, including yeast, the nematode
C. elegans, fruitflies and mice. To explore the novel genes involved in aging process, ...we applied cDNA microarray technology to a replicative senescence model of human dermal fibroblasts (HDF). Eighty-four genes, including inflammatory genes, cell cycle regulatory genes, cytoskeletal genes, and metabolic genes were found to show more than two fold expressional differences in young and old fibroblasts. Furthermore, 31 genes were confirmed to be up- or down-regulated during replicative senescence by semi-quantitative RT-PCR. The overexpressions of several genes including CD36, putative lymphocyte G
0/G
1 switch gene (G
0S
2), tumor protein D52-like 1 (TPD52L1), chemokine (C–X–C motif) ligand 6, myxovirus resistant gene 1 (MX1), and the down-regulation of the immunoglobulin superfamily containing leucine-rich repeat (ISLR), neurotrimin, insulin-like growth factor 2 associated protein (IGF2A), and apoptosis-related RNA binding protein (NAPOR3) were newly identified. These results suggest that fibroblasts show the deregulation of various cellular processes, such as inflammatory response, mitosis, cell adhesion, transport, signal transduction, and metabolism during replicative senescence.
A new process of magnesium thermal reduction was successfully attempted to produce Zr-Ti alloy powder. A gas mixture of ZrCl
4
+TiCl
4
was injected to molten magnesium, and the chloride components ...were reduced by magnesium, leading to the formation of MgCl
2
. The Zr and Ti atoms that were not reacted with magnesium were condensed to particle forms inside liquid magnesium and magnesium chloride. In the next stage, the magnesium and its chloride were fully removed by 1-5%HCl solution at room temperature. The target compositions of Zr-Ti alloy powder could be obtained in the ranges of Zr-(0-20 wt-%)Ti by controlling the mole fraction of each ZrCl
4
and TiCl
4
gas. Its purity was achieved to ∼99·4%, and the average particle size was almost found to be in the level of several micrometres.
Helium majority experiments on Alcator C-Mod were performed to compare with deuterium discharges, and inform ITER early operations. ELMy H-modes were produced with a special plasma shape at BT = ...5.3 T, IP = 0.9 MA, at q95 ~ 3.8. The He fraction ranged over, nHe,L/nL = 0.2-0.4, with nD,L/nL = 0.15-0.26, compared to D plasmas with nD,L/nL = 0.85-0.97. The power to enter the H-mode in He was found to be greater than ~2 times that for D discharges, in the low density region <1.4 × 1020/m3. However, it appears to follow the D threshold for higher densities. The stored energies in the He discharges were about 80% of those in D, and about 40% higher net power was required to sustain them compared to D. Global particle confinement times for tungsten of τW∗/τE ~ 4 were obtained with ELMy H-modes in He, however accumulation occurred when the ELMs were irregular and infrequent. The electron temperatures and densities in the pedestal were similar between D and He discharges, and the ΔTe/Te and Δne/ne values were similar or larger in He than D. The higher net power required to access the H-mode, and sustain it in flattop, for He discharges in C-Mod, imply some limitations for He operation in ITER.
Objectives: To retrospectively evaluate whether benign and aggressive phyllodes tumours have distinguishing ultrasonographic features. Methods: We searched the breast imaging database for patients ...with diagnoses of phyllodes tumours between 2003 and 2014. The imaging studies of eligible patients were retrospectively reviewed. Results: A total of 46 patients (all women; mean age, 41.1 years; range, 20-69 years) were enrolled in the study. The histological grades were benign in 67.4% (n = 31), borderline in 23.9% (n = 11), and malignant in 8.7% (n = 4) of patients. The mean long-axis diameter of the tumour was 3.1 cm (range, 0.7-6.9 cm) in benign tumours and 5.8 cm (range, 3.0-13.0 cm) in aggressive tumours. As compared with benign phyllodes tumours, aggressive tumours showed larger long-axis diameter (p = 0.01), more frequently irregular shape (60% vs. 3.2%), indistinct or microlobulated margins (66.7% vs. 25.8%), and complex cystic and solid echogenicity (46.7% vs. 0%). Benign phyllodes tumours more commonly showed heterogeneous echogenicity with small anechoic clefts (54.8% vs. 20.0%). Conclusion: Several sonographic findings including long-axis diameter, shape, margin, and echogenicity were helpful to differentiate benign and aggressive phyllodes tumours. Irregular shape was a strong, independent predictor of aggressive phyllodes tumours.
Forty Hanwoo steers weighing 759.3±50.3kg were used to evaluate the effects of treatment with zilpaterol hydrochloride (ZH) in terms of feedlot performance, carcass characteristics, and fatty acid ...composition. We hypothesized that treatment of ZH increases meat amount in long-fed Hanwoo steers. Animals were blocked by BW, and assigned to one of two treatments within each block. Five animals were housed and fed in each of 8 pens. All animals were weighed before and after ZH treatment. Total BW gain over the 23-d period was adjusted to d 0 by covariant analysis. Steers receiving ZH (1.6g/h/d) exhibited significantly increased weight gain (P<0.05) over CON steers. Performance analysis showed that ZH had significant effects on total weight gained average daily gain (ADG). There were also treatment effects (P<0.05) on dressing percentage, LM area, and yield grade. The total percentage of lean muscle was increased by the administration of ZH, and the percentage of fat was decreased by ZH treatment (P<0.05). The weights of tenderloin, striploin, chuck, round, shank, and brisket were significantly increased by ZH treatment compared to CON steers (P<0.05). Analyses of the physico-chemical characteristics of the longissimus muscle indicated that shear force, purge loss, and cooking loss were increased with ZH treatment (P<0.05). However, there were no treatment effects on marbling score and fatty acid compositions (P>0.05). We conclude that the administration of ZH increased LM area and primal yield grades, but had no change in the fatty acid profile.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) results from the cumulative effects of deregulated tumor suppressor genes and oncogenes. The tumor suppressor and oncogenes commonly affected include growth factors, ...receptors and their downstream signaling pathway components. The overexpression of transforming growth factor alpha (TGF‐α) and the inhibition of TGF‐β signaling are especially common in human liver cancer. Thus, we assessed whether TGF‐α overexpression and TGF‐β signaling inactivation cooperate in hepatocarcinogenesis using an in vivo mouse model, MT1/TGFa;AlbCre/Tgfbr2flx/flx mice (“TGFa;Tgfbr2hepko”), which overexpresses TGF‐α and lacks a TGF‐β receptor in the liver. TGF‐β signaling inactivation did not alter the frequency or number of cancers in mice with overexpression of TGF‐α. However, the tumors in the TGFa;Tgfbr2hepko mice displayed increased proliferation and increased cdk2, cyclin E and cyclin A expression as well as decreased Cdkn1a/p21 expression compared to normal liver and compared to the cancers arising in the TGF‐α overexpressing mice with intact TGF‐β receptors. Increased phosphorylated ERK1/2 expression was also present in the tumors from the TGFa;Tgfbr2hepko mice and correlated with downregulated Raf kinase inhibitor protein expression, which is a common molecular event in human HCC. Thus, TGF‐β signaling inactivation appears to cooperate with TGF‐α in vivo to promote the formation of liver cancer that recapitulates molecular features of human HCC.
A novel catalyst, Ni/Ce–ZrO2, exhibits very high catalytic activity and stability even in the stoichiometric steam reforming of methane (H2O/CH4 = 1). Furthermore, when it was employed in oxy-steam ...reforming, it gave enhanced CH4 conversion (99.1%) at 750 °C and the activity was maintained for 100 h. The high catalyst stability is mainly ascribed to the synergistic effect of the Ce modifier resulting from high capacity to store oxygen and high ability to produce mobile oxygen.
PDF
