Radioactive nuclides with a short half-life, such as (131)I and (134)Cs, were detected in environmental samples collected in Aomori Prefecture after the Tokyo Electric Power Company Fukushima ...Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant accident in March 2011. In addition, the observed (137)Cs concentration was increased over the background level. The gaseous (131)I concentration in air observed in April was higher than that observed in March immediately after the accident. Using a backward trajectory analysis, the authors found that the air mass had passed the vicinity of the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant when the gaseous (131)I concentration in air was increasing. Maximum (131)I and radioactive Cs concentrations in daily fallout samples collected in Aomori city were observed on 28 April, when (131)I was also detected in air. (134)Cs and (137)Cs concentration ratios in pine needles and pasture grass were nearly equal to 1, which indicates that the source of these radionuclides was the nuclear power plant accident.
Summary Objective We studied the effects of the transient activation of parathyroid hormone (PTH)/PTH-related peptide (PTHrP) signaling during the repair of 5-mm-diameter full-thickness defects of ...articular cartilage in the rabbit. Materials and methods Cylindrical full-thickness articular cartilage defects of 5 mm in diameter were artificially created in the femoral trochlea of male adolescent Japanese white rabbits using a hand-drill. Recombinant human PTH(1-84) was then administered into the joint cavity continuously or intermittently for 2 weeks post-injury. The reparative tissues were histologically examined at 2, 4, and 8 weeks, and were also immunohistochemically examined for type II collagen. Double immunostaining analysis was also performed for the PTH/PTHrP receptor and proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) in the regenerating tissues. Results No evidence of cartilage formation was evident throughout the period of the experiments in injured animals administered saline alone. In contrast, cartilage formation occurred at 4 weeks in both the continuous and intermittent PTH-treated defects. At 8 weeks post-injury, for the intermittently treated defects, the regenerated cartilage successfully resurfaced the defects and the original bone-articular cartilage junction was recovered. In contrast, the defects were covered with fibrous or fibrocartilaginous tissues in the continuously administered group. PCNA and PTH/PTHrP receptor-double positive mesenchymal cells were significantly increased in both the continuous and intermittent PTH-treated defects at 2 weeks post-injury. Conclusions The present results suggest that the transient activation and release from PTH/PTHrP signaling during the early stages of the cartilage repair process facilitates the induction of regenerative chondrogenesis in full-thickness articular cartilage defects.
The purpose of this study was to establish a method to estimate impact force in tennis forehand stroke to determine if differences in string tension would affect impact force. This is a preliminary ...study using only one participant. Estimates were determined using kinematic data and data obtained from strain gauges. Preliminary data on peak resultant impact force estimates were within the range of those reported in the literature. Peak resultant force estimates were larger for higher string tension rackets and lower string tension in the racquets possibly due to differences in coefficient of restitution. Data estimated from this study, regardless of string tension, may give a better representative of peak resultant impact force as the data were not filtered.
We describe the details of a silicon–tungsten prototype electromagnetic calorimeter module and associated readout electronics. Detector performance for this prototype has been measured in test beam ...experiments at the CERN PS and SPS accelerator facilities in 2015/16. The results are compared to those in Monte Carlo Geant4 simulations. This is the first real-world demonstration of the performance of a custom ASIC designed for fast, lower-power, high-granularity applications.
Nonpolypoid colorectal neoplasms are grossly classified into three groups: slightly elevated (small flat adenomas), laterally spreading, and depressed. Flat adenomas are not invasive until they are ...rather large, whereas depressed lesions can invade the submucosa even when they are extremely small. Nonpolypoid lesions are difficult to detect and are often overlooked. Keys to detect them are their slight color change, interruption of the capillary network pattern, slight deformation of the colonic wall, spontaneously bleeding spots, shape change of the lesion with insufflation and deflation of air, and interruption of the innominate grooves. Spraying of indigo carmine dye helps to clarify the lesions. A pit pattern analysis with a zoom colonoscope is useful for the diagnosis and staging of early colorectal cancer. Small flat adenomas are thought to be precursors of protruded polyps and lateral spreading tumors, whereas depressed lesions are thought to grow endophytically and become advanced cancers. Small depressed lesions are treated with an endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) technique; but when they massively invade the submucosa, surgical resection is indicated. Laterally spreading tumors are not as invasive despite their large size and therefore are good indications for the EMR or piecemeal EMR method. Small flat adenomas need not be treated urgently, as almost none is invasive. Accurate diagnosis with dye‐spraying and zoom colonoscopy is vital for deciding the treatment strategy.
Summary
Magnification endoscopy enables in vivo evaluation of gastrointestinal mucosa. Furthermore, endocytoscopy (ECS) with ultra‐high magnification enables in vivo observation of cellular atypia ...during routine endoscopic examination. The purpose of this study is to clarify the efficacy of ECS and endocytoscopic atypia (ECA) classification in various types of benign and malignant pathology in the esophagus. Consecutive 110 patients, who underwent ECS in our institution from March 2003 to December 2009, were included in this study. One hundred and forty‐six esophageal lesions were classified according to ECA classification, and these endocytoscopic images were compared with histological images. We categorized endocytoscopic images into five categories according to size and uniformity of nuclei, number of cells and regularity of cellular arrangement. Eighty‐one out of 89 ECA‐1 to ECA‐3 lesions (91.0%) corresponded to Vienna categories 1 to 3. Seventy‐one out of 84 ECA‐4 or ECA‐5 lesions (91.2%) corresponded to Vienna category 4 or 5. Overall accuracy of ECS was 91.3%, providing images similar to conventional hematoxylin and eosin staining. In addition, with ECS, we can take an ‘optical biopsy’ even in patients with cardiovascular disease without interrupting anticoagulant therapy. A newly designed single charge‐coupled device endocytoscope allows observation of target tissue noninvasibly from regular magnification to ultra‐high magnification. The development of ECS has opened the door to in vivo cellular imaging, enabling endoscopic diagnosis of tissue cytological atypia during routine endoscopic examination.
Esophageal perforation occurring during or after endoscopic mucosal resection (EMR) or endoscopic submucosal dissection (ESD) is a rare, but serious complication. However, reports of its ...characteristics, including endoscopic imaging and management, have not been fully detailed. To analyze and report the clinical presentation and management of esophageal perforations occurred during or after EMR/ESD. Four hundred seventy‐two esophageal neoplasms in 368 patients were treated (171 EMR; ESD 306) at Northern Yokohama Hospital from 2003 to 2012. Esophageal perforation occurred in a total of seven (1.9%) patients, all of whom were male and had undergone ESD. The etiology of perforation was: three (42.9%) intraoperative; three (42.9%) balloon dilatation for stricture prevention; one (14.2%) due to food bolus impaction. All cases were managed non‐operatively based on the comprehensive assessment of clinical severity, extent of the injury, and the time interval from perforation to treatment onset. Conservative management included (i) bed rest and continuous monitoring to determine the need for operative intervention; (ii) fasting and intravenous fluid infusion/ tube feeding; and (iii) intravenous antibiotics. All defects closed spontaneously, save one case where closure was achieved by endoscopic clipping. Surgery was not required. Conservative management for esophageal perforation during advanced endoscopic resection is may be possible when there is no delay in diagnosis or treatment. Decision‐making should be governed purely by multidisciplinary discussion.
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