Metal-organic frameworks (MOFs) have received much attention for their potential as chemical sensors, owing to unparalleled tunability of their host-guest response, high uptake and structural ...flexibility. However, because of the limited compatibility between MOF properties and sensor transduction mechanisms, very few MOFs have successfully been integrated into practical devices. We report the fabrication of the first strain-based sensor constructed from MOF nanoparticles deposited directly onto a membrane-type surface stress sensor (MSS) architecture, which exhibits unprecedented response times on the order of seconds and ppm-level sensitivity towards volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Finite element analysis is used to demonstrate that the sensor response is a result of analyte-induced strain in the MOF receptor layer. We show that an array of four types of MOF nanoparticles allows for clear discrimination between different classes of VOCs and even individual gases, using principal component analysis of their response profiles. This work opens up the possibility of VOC sensing using a wide range of MOFs, beyond those that are electrically conducting or those that form oriented thin films, with the added advantages of high sensitivity and rapid response compared to existing MOF strain-based sensors.
A membrane-type surface stress sensor (MSS) featuring metal-organic framework nanoparticles shows rapid, discriminative and ppm-level responses to volatile organic compounds.
Background
Approximately 40% of patients with chronic low back pain have a neuropathic component. In this study, we assessed the effects of analgesics on tactile hypersensitivity and walking distance ...in the rat cauda equina compression (CEC) model of neuropathic low back pain.
Methods
The effects of analgesics on tactile hypersensitivity were examined using the von Frey test in CEC and partial sciatic nerve ligation (pSNL) models. Effects on walking distance were assessed using a treadmill test. Levels of α2δ1 subunit and ATF‐3 mRNA in dorsal‐root ganglion (DRG) neurons and those of α2δ1 subunit protein in the spinal cord were determined using quantitative RT‐PCR and western blotting, respectively. Histological features were assessed using immunohistological methods.
Results
Histological changes indicating nerve damage (increase in ATF‐3 mRNA, decrease in NF‐200 and an increase in CD68 immunoreactivity) were observed in the CEC model. Duloxetine had analgesic effects in both models and improved walking distance in the CEC model. Pregabalin had analgesic effects in both models; however, the effect was weaker in the CEC model than in the pSNL model. α2δ1 subunit expression in DRG neurons and in the spinal cord was unchanged in the CEC model, but significantly increased in the pSNL model. Indomethacin had no analgesic effect in either model. Intrathecal yohimbine inhibited the effects of duloxetine with significant effects on depression.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that the analgesic effects of duloxetine are mainly mediated by the spinal monoamine system, independent of the antidepressant effects of this agent.
Significance
The findings of this study suggest that duloxetine may be an effective treatment of broad neuropathic pain states, including neuropathic low back pain. The analgesic effects of duloxetine might be mediated by alterations of the descending pain modulatory pathways in the spinal cord, independent of the antidepressant effects.
A synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction pattern was measured for a lithium superionic conductor, Li7P3S11, which has a high conductivity of 3.2X10-3Scm-1 at room temperature and a low activation ...energy of 12kJmol-1 Mizuno et al., Solid State Ionics, vol. 177 (2006) 2721. The crystal structure was solved by a direct space global optimization technique and refined by the Rietveld method. The compound crystallizes in a triclinic cell, space group P-1, a=12.5009(3) A, b=6.03160(17) A, c=12.5303(3) A, alpha=102.845(3) deg , beta=113.2024(18) deg , gamma=74.467(3) deg . PS4 tetrahedra and P2S7 ditetrahedra are contained in the structure and Li ions are situated between them.
This paper presents a novel cell stretching micro device having two-dimensional array of micro chambers. It enables an in situ time-lapse observation of stretched cell by using an optical microscope ...with high measurement efficiency. The presented device consists of a cell culture dish and the array of micro chambers made of silicone elastomer and extension structures made of photocurable resin, and is fabricated with MEMS technology. The fabrication process of the thin micro chamber array combines photoresist mold and lift-off process based on conventional photolithography. The fabricated device has 134 micro chambers in 5μm or less thickness. It was demonstrated that the fabricated micro device could be used to make in-situ time-lapse observation of cell responses to stretching under optical microscopy. In addition, the influence of the chamber thickness to the quality of the microscope image observed was evaluated. It is confirmed that the proposed device having two-dimensional array of the thin micro chambers makes it possible to observe cell response for stretch stimuli with high quality and efficiency.
Macroalgal canopies, which provide nutrients and habitats for many invertebrates and fishes in coastal waters, are disappearing worldwide. The simultaneous assessment of changes in macroalgae and ...fish distribution before and after coastal desertification, including deeper coastal waters where beyond macroalgae growth need attention. Therefore, we investigated their spatial distribution in the coastal waters off southwestern Japan in late autumn and winter using the acoustic method combined with visual observation. The number of fish schools was higher in late autumn than in winter, while they had similar acoustic backscattering strength (Sv) and school size, tended to be distributed in shallower waters. The number was lower after the macroalgae disappeared in both seasons, while the average Sv was higher, and the size was larger. They were distributed in similar water depths during the winter season. Fewer fish schools and higher Sv were observed in deeper waters after the macroalgae disappeared. We concluded that more fishes moved to shallower waters in the autumn than in the winter because of higher water temperatures. Macroalgae benefited small juvenile fishes in both shallow and deep coastal waters. Further studies on the distribution of specific species are expected for the assessment and restoration of the macroalgal ecosystem.
Childhood fractures involving the physis potentially result in premature physeal closure that can lead to growth disturbances. Growth disturbances are challenging to treat with associated ...complications. Current literature focusing on physeal injuries to lower extremity long bones and risk factors for growth disturbance development is limited. The purpose of this study was to provide a review of growth disturbances among proximal tibial, distal tibial, and distal femoral physeal fractures.
Data were retrospectively collected from patients undergoing fracture treatment at a level I pediatric trauma center between 2008 and 2018. The study was limited to patients 0.5 to 18.9 years with a tibial or distal femoral physeal fracture, injury radiograph, and appropriate follow-up for determination of fracture healing. The cumulative incidence of clinically significant growth disturbance (CSGD) (a growth disturbance requiring subsequent physeal bar resection, osteotomy, and/or epiphysiodesis) was estimated, and descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographics and clinical characteristics among patients with and without CSGD.
A total of 1,585 patients met the inclusion criteria. The incidence of CSGD was 5.0% (95% confidence interval, 3.8% to 6.6%). All cases of growth disturbance occurred within 2 years of initial injury. The risk of CSGD peaked at 10.2 years for males and 9.1 years for females. Complex fractures that required surgical treatment, distal femoral and proximal tibial fractures, age, and initial treatment at an outside hospital were significantly associated with an increased risk of a CSGD.
All CSGDs occurred within 2 years of injury, indicating that these injuries should be followed for a period of at least 2 years. Patients with distal femoral or proximal tibial physeal fractures that undergo surgical treatment are at highest risk for developing a CSGD.
Level III Retrospective Cohort Study.
S-288310, a cancer peptide vaccine composed of two HLA-A*24:02-restricted peptides derived from two oncoantigens, DEP domain-containing 1 (DEPDC1) and M-phase phosphoprotein 1 (MPHOSPH1), was ...investigated in urothelial carcinoma (UC) of the bladder.
Thirty eight HLA-A*24:02-positive patients with progressive UC were enrolled in this study. In the phase I part of the study, three patients each were treated with S-288310 at 1 mg or 2 mg/peptide subcutaneously once a week to evaluate safety and tolerability. In the phase II, 32 patients were randomized to receive either 1 mg or 2 mg to evaluate the difference in cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) induction and safety.
S-288310 was safe and well tolerated in the phase I. Of 27 patients evaluable for immune responses in the phase II, there was no difference in CTL induction rate between the 1 mg (100%) and 2 mg (80.0%) groups. Of 32 patients receiving S-288310 in the phase II, the most frequent drug-related AE was the injection site reaction that was observed in 29 patients (90.6%), but none of the patients discontinued administration due to these reactions and no dose relationship in the frequency and severity was observed. The objective response rate of the 32 patients was 6.3% and the disease control rate was 56.3%. The median overall survival (OS) rates for patients vaccinated with S-288310 after one regimen of chemotherapy, 2 regimens, or 3 or more were 14.4, 9.1 and 3.7 months, respectively, and 32.2% of patients post first-line treatment were alive at 2 years. OS of patients who showed CTL induction to both peptides was longer than that of those with CTL induction to no or one peptide.
S-288310 was well-tolerated and effectively induced peptide-specific CTLs, which were correlated with longer survival for patients with UC of the bladder.
JapicCTI-090980
Synchrotron X-ray microtomography was used to observe the shrinkage and annihilation behaviors of hydrogen micropores in three dimensions during hot and cold plastic deformation of an Al–Mg alloy. ...Whether complete healing of micropores is achieved after plastic deformation was examined by exposing the material to a high temperature after plastic deformation. Although micropores generally show a pattern of shrinking and closing, closer inspection of a single specimen revealed a variety of geometrically variable behaviors. It is noteworthy that some of the micropores are reinitiated in positions identical to those before their annihilation, even after an 8–22% macroscopic strain has been further applied after annihilation. We attribute local variations such as these to significant local strain variation, which we measured in a series of tomographic volumes by tracking the microstructural features.
The 70Li2S*30P2S5 (mol%) glasses were prepared by quenching melts held at different temperatures and the glass-ceramics were prepared by crystallization of these glasses. It was clear that the local ...structure of the glasses changed by the melting temperature. The increase in melting temperature from 750 to 900 deg C led to form the P2S64- ions, which would promote the crystallization of Li4P2S6 phase with low conductivity. The superionic Li7P3S11 metastable phase was precipitated by crystallization of the glass prepared from the melt at 750 deg C. The obtained glass-ceramic showed high lithium ion conductivity of 2.1X10-3Scm-1 at room temperature. The lithium ion transport number of the glass-ceramic was almost unity.
Cancer anorexia-cachexia syndrome is characterized by decreased food intake, weight loss, muscle tissue wasting and psychological distress, and this syndrome is a major source of increased morbidity ...and mortality in cancer patients. This study aimed to clarify the gut-brain peptides involved in the pathogenesis of the syndrome and determine effective treatment for cancer anorexia-cachexia. We show that both ghrelin insufficiency and resistance were observed in tumor-bearing rats. Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) decreased the plasma level of acyl ghrelin, and its receptor antagonist, α-helical CRF, increased food intake of these rats. The serotonin 2c receptor (5-HT2cR) antagonist SB242084 decreased hypothalamic CRF level and improved anorexia, gastrointestinal (GI) dysmotility and body weight loss. The ghrelin receptor antagonist (D-Lys3)-GHRP-6 worsened anorexia and hastened death in tumor-bearing rats. Ghrelin attenuated anorexia-cachexia in the short term, but failed to prolong survival, as did SB242084 administration. In addition, the herbal medicine rikkunshito improved anorexia, GI dysmotility, muscle wasting, and anxiety-related behavior and prolonged survival in animals and patients with cancer. The appetite-stimulating effect of rikkunshito was blocked by (D-Lys3)-GHRP-6. Active components of rikkunshito, hesperidin and atractylodin, potentiated ghrelin secretion and receptor signaling, respectively, and atractylodin prolonged survival in tumor-bearing rats. Our study demonstrates that the integrated mechanism underlying cancer anorexia-cachexia involves lowered ghrelin signaling due to excessive hypothalamic interactions of 5-HT with CRF through the 5-HT2cR. Potentiation of ghrelin receptor signaling may be an attractive treatment for anorexia, muscle wasting and prolong survival in patients with cancer anorexia-cachexia.
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