Subacute thyroiditis, which is considered to be a viral disease, rarely recurs after a complete recovery. We evaluated data on 3,344 patients with subacute thyroiditis who were seen at Ito Hospital ...between 1970 and 1993. Subacute thyroiditis recurred in 48 of 3,344 patients 14.5 +/- 4.5 yr after the first episode. Five patients experienced a third episode 7.6 +/- 2.4 yr after the second. The mean age of the patients at the first, second, and third episode was 38.4 +/- 6.3, 53.1 +/- 8.9, and 57.8 +/- 10.1 yr old, respectively. The mean incidence of a recurrence was 2.3 +/- 0.9% per year. The erythrocyte sedimentation rate and the duration of treatment were each significantly decreased at the second episode as compared with the first. Thus, recurrences of subacute thyroiditis do occur at least in 2% of patients and exhibited relatively mild clinical manifestations.
Eight Brown Norway rats were immunized twice at days 0 and 13 by intraperitneal injections of 10 micrograms Cry j I, one of major allergen to Japanese cedar pollinosis, mixed with 4.5 mg aluminium ...hydroxide gel. Serum level of Anti-Cry j I IgE antibody was detected by the method of ELISA. Mean value of serum levels of specific IgE to Cry j I in the sensitized rats was significantly higher than that in the non-sensitized five rats (p < 0.01). The grades of eosinophil and lymphocyte accumulation in the nasal mucosa of the sensitized rats were higher than those in the non-sensitized rats respectively (p < 0.05, p < 0.01). In the laryngeal mucosa, the grade of eosinophilia in the sensitized rats was higher than that in the control (p < 0.01), but no significant differences of lymphocyte accumulation in the larynx between the two groups were found. Only a small number of eosinophil and lymphocyte accumulations in the trachea of the both groups were observed and no significant differences of the grade of inflammatory cells accumulation between the two groups were found. According to the results of this fundamental study, allergic laryngitis in Japanese cedar pollinosis might be originated from Japanese cedar pollen.
The thermal diffusivity of thin metal films has been measured by combining a fast infrared radiation thermometer with a mercury cadmium telluride (MCT) detector and a CO2 laser modulated at a radio ...frequency up to 2 MHz. The laser output beam modulated by an acousto-optic modulator (AOM) is directed to the front surface of the blackened copper thin film (10mm thick, 9.5 mm in diameter). The thermal radiation from the back surface of the sample is detected. From the observed phase delay in the detected signal of 0.68 radian to the input laser beam, the thermal diffusivity is determined to be 1.11 x 10-4m2*s-1, which agrees well with the value of 0.99 x 10-4 m2*s-1 calculated from literature results. The method is generally applicable for measurements of thermal properties of nano/micro materials.
The value of computed tomography (CT) and ultrasound (US) for assessing submandibular tumours has been assessed. Thirty-five patients with 23 benign submandibular gland tumours and 12 malignant ...tumours have been investigated. In 33/35 patients, 18 plain CT (PCT), 19 CT sialography (CTS), and eight intravenous contrast-enhanced CT (CECT) procedures were performed. PCT did not allow clear delineation of 78% of the lesions, due to the similar density of the tumour and normal submandibular gland parenchyma. The tumours were easily recognized as low-echogenic or low-density masses by US, CTS and CECT. Benign lesions were usually sharply demarcated and had smooth borders on US, CTS and CECT. In addition, lobulation was often recognized in pleomorphic adenomas. Malignant tumours were poorly defined with irregular borders in 11/12 cases on US, CTS and CECT. CECT was superior to PCT and CTS in providing images of the tumour and its involvement of adjacent structures. It was concluded that US is the most useful primary examination method for submandibular tumours, while CECT provides the best evaluation of extension to the surrounding structures and/or adjacent lymph nodes. CTS seems to be unnecessary, if a submandibular tumour can be visualized by US and CECT.
The characterization of water molecules bound to ribonuclease T1 (RNase T1) was carried out using cold-spray ionization mass spectrometry (CSI-MS). CSI-MS is a variant of electrospray ionization mass ...spectrometry (ESI-MS) operating at low temperature, and is particularly suitable for investigating the weaker molecular associations, since the temperature at the spray interface is much lower than that in the conventional ESI-MS. In this approach, ion peaks due to the addition of nine water molecules were identified at a spray temperature of 48°C. This result showed good agreement with that inferred by the combinational analysis of NMR and X-ray crystallography, indicating that CSI-MS is capable of rapidly providing reliable information to characterize the number of water molecules bound to a macromolecule.
Free energies of the hexagonal phase and perovskite phases of BaCo
1−
y
Fe
y
O
3−
δ
, a mixed ionic and electronic conductor, are calculated using first principles method. The calculated structure of ...a known phase is in good agreement with experiment. It is found that the hexagonal phase is most stable at low temperature. As temperature increases, a phase transition to tetragonal perovskite, in which the B site cation valence is reduced to 3+ by release of oxygen, takes place. Further increase of temperature results in the reduction of the perovskite phase, i.e., the valence of the B site cation is reduced to 2+. The temperature of the hexagonal to perovskite phase transition is lowered by mixing Co and Fe, in spite of the increased phonon scattering, due to localization of oxygen vacancies.
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