Non-invasive monitoring of temperature elevations inside tumor tissue is imperative for the oncological thermotherapy known as hyperthermia. In the present study, two cancer patients, one with a ...developing right renal cell carcinoma and the other with pseudomyxoma peritonei, underwent hyperthermia. The two patients were irradiated with radiofrequency current for 40 min during hyperthermia. We report the results of our clinical trial study in which the temperature increases inside the tumor tissues of patients with right renal cell carcinoma and pseudomyxoma peritonei induced by radiofrequency current irradiation for 40 min could be detected by statistical analysis of ultrasonic scattered echoes. The Nakagami shape parameter m varies depending on the temperature of the medium. We calculated the Nakagami shape parameter m by statistical analysis of the ultrasonic echoes scattered from the tumor tissues. The temperature elevations inside the tumor tissues were expressed as increases in brightness on 2-D hot-scale maps of the specific parameter αmod, indicating the absolute values of the percentage changes in m values. In the αmod map for each tumor tissue, the brightness clearly increased with treatment time. In quantitative analysis, the mean values of αmod were calculated. The mean value of αmod for the right renal cell carcinoma increased to 1.35 dB with increasing treatment time, and the mean value of αmod for pseudomyxoma peritonei increased to 1.74 with treatment time. The increase in both αmod brightness and the mean value of αmod implied temperature elevations inside the tumor tissues induced by the radiofrequency current; thus, the acoustic method is promising for monitoring temperature elevations inside tumor tissues during hyperthermia.
Air sample collections over the western Pacific have continued since 1992 as a part of Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies (CGER-NIES) global ...environmental monitoring program. The air samples collected on the Japan-Australia transect made it possible to trace the seasonal and secular 14CO2 variations, as well as an increasing trend of greenhouse gases over the western Pacific. A subset of CO2 samples from latitudes of 10–15°N and 23–28°S were chosen for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS) 14C analysis using a NIES-TERRA AMS with a 0.3–0.4% precision. These 14CO2 records in maritime air show seasonal variations superimposed on normal exponential decreasing trends with a time constant of about 16 yr. The Δ14C values in the Northern Hemisphere are lower those in the Southern Hemisphere by 3–4 during 1994–2002. The Northern Hemisphere record shows relatively high seasonality (2.3 ± 1.5) as compared with the Southern Hemisphere (1.3 ± 1.2). The maximum values of seasonal cycles appear in late autumn and early winter in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively. Oscillations of 1–10 yr over the western Pacific are found to correlate possibly with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.
Air sample collections over the western Pacific have continued since 1992 as a part of Center for Global Environmental Research, National Institute for Environmental Studies (CGER-NIES) global ...environmental monitoring program. The air samples collected on the Japan-Australia transect made it possible to trace the seasonal and secular
14
CO
2
variations, as well as an increasing trend of greenhouse gases over the western Pacific. A subset of CO
2
samples from latitudes of 10–15°N and 23–28°S were chosen for accelerator mass spectrometry (AMS)
14
C analysis using a NIES-TERRA AMS with a 0.3–0.4% precision. These
14
CO
2
records in maritime air show seasonal variations superimposed on normal exponential decreasing trends with a time constant of about 16 yr. The Δ
14
C values in the Northern Hemisphere are lower those in the Southern Hemisphere by 3–4 during 1994–2002. The Northern Hemisphere record shows relatively high seasonality (2.3 ± 1.5) as compared with the Southern Hemisphere (1.3 ± 1.2). The maximum values of seasonal cycles appear in late autumn and early winter in the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, respectively. Oscillations of 1–10 yr over the western Pacific are found to correlate possibly with the El Niño/Southern Oscillation (ENSO) events.
Total calcium in serum was determined by inductively coupled argon plamsa (ICAP) emission spectrometry as well as flame (air-C2H2) atomic absorption and flame (N2O-C2H2) atomic emission spectrometry, ...and all analytical values were compared with each other. According to the results, ICAP emission spectrometry provided consistent values with those obtained by flame emission and absorption (NBS recommended method) spectrometry. In ICAP emission spectrometry, calcium in serum could be measured only by diluting the serum 50- or 500- fold with deionized water, while in flame emission or absorption spectrometry La or NaCl should
Cardiomyopathy is a risk factor for poor prognosis in pediatric patients with mitochondrial disease. However, other risk factors including genetic factors related to poor prognosis in mitochondrial ...disease has yet to be fully elucidated.
Between January 2004 and September 2019, we enrolled 223 consecutive pediatric mitochondrial disease patients aged <18 years with a confirmed genetic diagnosis, including 114 with nuclear gene mutations, 89 patients with mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) point mutations, 11 with mtDNA single large-scale deletions and 9 with chromosomal aberrations. Cardiomyopathy at baseline was observed in 46 patients (21%). Hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated for all-cause mortality. Over a median follow-up of 36 months (12–77), there were 85 deaths (38%). The overall survival rate was significantly lower in patients with cardiomyopathy than in those without (p < 0.001, log-rank test). By multivariable analysis, left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy (HR = 4.6; 95% CI: 2.8–7.3), neonatal onset (HR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.8–4.5) and chromosomal aberrations (HR = 2.9; 95% CI: 1.3–6.5) were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. Patients with LV hypertrophy with neonatal onset and/or chromosomal aberrations had higher mortality (100% in 21 patients) than those with LV hypertrophy alone (71% in 14 patients).
In pediatric patients with mitochondrial disease, cardiomyopathy was common (21%) and was associated with increased mortality. LV hypertrophy, neonatal onset and chromosomal aberrations were independent predictors of all-cause mortality. Prognosis is particularly unfavorable if LV hypertrophy is combined with neonatal onset and/or chromosomal aberrations.
•Cardiomyopathy is related to poor prognosis in pediatric mitochondrial disease patients.•However, other risk factors including genetic factors related to poor prognosis has yet to be fully elucidated.•We assessed the prognosis and genetic background of cardiomyopathy in 223 pediatric mitochondrial disease patients.•Cardiomyopathy was common (22%) and was associated with increased mortality.•Left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, neonatal onset and chromosomal aberrations were independent predictors of mortality.•Prognosis is particularly unfavorable if LV hypertrophy is combined with neonatal onset and/or chromosomal aberrations.
Although various body fluid biomarkers for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) have been reported, no biomarkers specifically reflecting abnormalities in axonal excitability indices have currently ...been established. Capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography time-of-flight mass spectrometry were used to perform a comprehensive metabolome analysis of plasma from seven ALS patients and 20 controls, and correlation analysis with disease phenotypes was then performed in 22 other ALS patients. Additionally, electrophysiological studies of motor nerve axonal excitability were performed in all ALS patients. In the ALS and control groups, levels of various metabolites directly associated with skeletal muscle metabolism, such as those involved in fatty acid β-oxidation and the creatine pathway, were detected. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis of the top four metabolites (ribose-5-phosphate, N6-acetyllysine, dyphylline, 3-methoxytyrosine) showed high diagnostic accuracy (area under the curve = 0.971) in the ALS group compared with the control group. Furthermore, hierarchical cluster analysis revealed that taurine levels were correlated with the strength-duration time constant, an axonal excitability indicator established to predict survival. No significant effects of diabetes mellitus and treatment (Riluzole and Edaravone) on this relationship were detected in the study. Therefore, plasma taurine is a potential novel axonal excitability-translatable biomarker for ALS.
We report a simple yet effective method for processing lignocellulosic biomass by combined wet-type ultrafine bead milling and enzymatic saccharification at pH 5.0 and 50 degree C. This generates ...nanoscale particles that allow close to 70% saccharification of cellulose and recovery of a glassy, flame retardant, and transparent non-deteriorated lignin-rich film.
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