Attribute-based medicine is essential for patient-centered medicine. To date, the groups of patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) requiring urate-lowering therapy are clinically unknown. Herein, ...we evaluated the efficacy of febuxostat using a cross-classification, attribute-based research approach. We performed post hoc analysis of multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial data for 395 patients with stage 3 CKD and asymptomatic hyperuricemia. Participants were divided into febuxostat or placebo groups and subcohorts stratified and cross-classified by proteinuria and serum creatinine concentrations. In patients stratified based on proteinuria, the mean eGFR slopes were significantly higher in the febuxostat group than in the placebo group (P = 0.007) in the subcohort without proteinuria. The interaction between febuxostat treatment and presence of proteinuria in terms of eGFR slope was significant (P for interaction = 0.019). When cross-classified by the presence of proteinuria and serum creatinine level, the mean eGFR slopes significantly differed between the febuxostat and placebo groups (P = 0.040) in cross-classified subcohorts without proteinuria and with serum creatinine level ≥ median, but not in the cross-classified subcohorts with proteinuria and serum creatinine level < median. Febuxostat mitigated the decline in kidney function among stage 3 CKD patients with asymptomatic hyperuricemia without proteinuria.
Many bolts are used in automobiles or bridges. Since the loosing of the bolts may cause serious accidents, regular inspection is very important. In this paper, the slack inspection technique for high ...tension bolts, which detects the magnetic property of changing by bolting stress, was examined. The proposed bolt slack inspection technique was investigated using 3-D stress analysis and the nonlinear electromagnetic FEM (finite element method). The results showed that the non-destructive inspection of the slack of the high-tension bolts is possible by detecting the change of flux density in the proposed inspection probe.
Intra-arterial digital subtraction angiography using CO2 (CO2-IA-DSA) is effective for detecting arteriovenous and arterioportal shunts in the liver. We carried out CO2-IA-DSA in addition to ...selective arteriography using a iodinated contrast medium in 31 patients with unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). As a result, CO2-IA-DSA detected an AV shunt in 4/31 patients and an AP shunt in 16/31 patients for a total of 20 cases of shunt, whereas conventional hepatic IA-DSA detected only AP (AV shunt) shunts in 3/31 patients. For HCC without any shunt, Gelfoam embolization was carried out after injection of Lipiodol and Farmorubicin (FARM). In patients with an AP shunt, injection of Lipiodol and FARM was performed after the shunt had been embolized with Gelfoam. In patients with an AV shunt, Lipiodol and FARM were injected after the shunt had been embolized with a metallic coil. In conclusion, detection of shunts by CO2-IA-DSA is useful for determining the optimal approach for transcatheter arterial injection.
This study was performed to determine the advantages and disadvantages of fast fluid attenuated inversion recovery (fast FLAIR) images in diagnosing brain infarction compared with fast spin-echo ...(fast SE) images. Fast FLAIR and fast SE images were obtained in 32 patients with brain infarction. Infarctions close to the sulci were difficult to differentiate from the real sulci on fast SE images, but were clearly depicted on FLAIR images. Linear foci along with cortex were especially well demonstrated on FLAIR images. On the other hand, foci that showed high signal intensity on fast SE images were sometimes appeared as having low or iso signal intensity on FLAIR images. These foci, suspected of being cystic lesions, were sometimes difficult to identify on fast FLAIR images. For the above reasons, we concluded that fast FLAIR and fast SE each have advantages and disadvantages in the detection of brain infarctions.
A significant amount of CO2 gas is emitted from blast furnaces in ironmaking processes because large amounts of coke and pulverized coal are consumed as the reducing agent and heat source. ...Accordingly, CO2 emissions from blast furnaces should be reduced to control global warming. One promising method to achieve the CO2 reduction involves decreasing the reducing agent rate (RAR) during blast furnace operation. However, fine particles such as ash, derived from coke and pulverized coal, may affect the permeability in the furnace under low RAR operation. Therefore, the behavior of ash particles in a coke lump during combustion and gasification was elucidated experimentally in this work. Combustion and gasification experiments on a single coke lump were conducted in air and in a CO–CO2 gas mixture atmosphere at temperatures from 1473 to 1673 K. The ash particles in the coke lump were observed using a scanning electron microscope (SEM). Many large ash particles were observed near the surface of the coke lump during combustion. This is because the ash particles coalesced with the neighboring ash particles near the surface. Only molten fine ash particles were formed during gasification. This difference in the ash behavior during combustion from gasification will depend on the consumption behavior of the carbonaceous matrix.
Abstract
UVSOR is a Japanese low-energy synchrotron light source that has been operational since 1983. It has 750 MeV electron beam energy and a circumference of 53 m. The machine has undergone two ...major upgrades and is now called UVSOR-III, with a moderately small emittance of 17 nm·rad and is operated in the top-up mode at 300 mA. It has six undulators. Three in-vacuum undulators provide high-brightness VUV-SX light to the beamlines BL3U, BL4U, and BL6U. BL3U and BL4U are actively used for chemistry and life sciences using in situ and operando measurements, such as soft X-ray absorption and photoelectron spectroscopy. Since 2020, a unique photoelectron analyzer called the Momentum Microscope has been in operation in BL6U. Two variable polarization undulators provide high-brightness VUV light to the beamlines, BL5U and BL7U, which are used for solid-state physics through angle- and spin-resolved photoelectron spectroscopy. BL1U is equipped with two APPLE-II undulators in tandem and is used for various research purposes, including laser Compton scattering gamma rays. In addition to these beamlines, eight beamlines are operational which use bending magnet radiation, ranging from THz to tender X-rays. In 38 years of operation, we have dealt with and properly resolved machine problems, such as water leakage from magnet coils and cooling water flow paths in ultrahigh vacuum. Considering the machine’s declining competitiveness as a light source due to its aging and emerging demands in the low-energy area, we have started a design study on the future plan, as well as discussing it closely with the user community.
Background
The association between particulate matter (PM), including desert dust, and allergic symptoms has not been well studied. We examined whether PM exacerbated nose/eye/respiratory symptoms in ...infants, with a focus on the desert dust element, and assessed possible countermeasures.
Methods
We conducted a panel study of 1492 infants from October 2014 to July 2016 in 3 regions in Japan as an adjunct study of the Japan Environment and Children's Study. Infants’ daily symptom scores and behaviors were acquired by web‐based questionnaires sent to mothers, who answered within a day using mobile phones. Odds ratios (OR) for symptom development per increased fine PM or desert dust exposure were estimated. Regular use of medications and behaviors on the day of exposure were investigated as possible effect modifiers.
Results
Infants developed nose/eye/respiratory symptoms significantly more often in accordance with fine particulate levels (adjusted OR per 10 µg/m3 increase: 1.04, 95% confidence interval CI: 1.01‐1.07). A model including both fine particulates and desert dust showed reduced OR for fine particulates and robust OR for desert dust (adjusted OR per 0.1/km increase: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.09‐1.23). An increased OR was observed both in infants who had previously wheezed and in those who had never wheezed. Receiving information on the particulate forecast, reducing time outdoors, closing windows, and regular use of leukotriene receptor antagonists were significant effect modifiers.
Conclusions
Transborder desert dust arrival increased the risk of nose/eye/respiratory symptoms development in infants. Regular use of leukotriene receptor antagonists and other countermeasures reduced the risk.
This is the first study to clearly demonstrate that desert dust was associated with an increased risk of nose/respiratory symptoms in infants. Reducing outdoor duration on the day and regular use of leukotriene receptor antagonists significantly reduces the risk at the exposure. Other effect modifiers include keeping windows closed and receiving particulate forecast.
A dedicated radiation biology x-ray generation and exposure system has been developed. 8.0 keV in energy x-ray pulses generated with a femtosecond-laser pulse was used to irradiate sample cells ...through a custom-made culture dish with a silicon nitride membrane. The x-ray irradiation resulted in DNA double-strand breaks in the nucleus of a culture cell that were similar to those obtained with a conventional x-ray source, thus demonstrating the feasibility of radiobiological studies utilizing a single burst of x-rays focused on single cell specimens.
The usefulness of laser plasma X-ray pulses for medical and radiation biological studies was investigated, and the effects of laser plasma X rays were compared with those of conventional sources such ...as a linear accelerator. A cell irradiation system was developed that used copper-Kα (8 keV) lines from an ultrashort high-intensity laser to produce plasma. The absorbed dose of the 8 keV laser plasma X-ray pulse was estimated accurately with Gafchromic® EBT film. When the cells were irradiated with approximately 2 Gy of laser plasma X rays, the circular regions on γ-H2AX-positive cells could be clearly identified. Moreover, the numbers of γ-H2AX and phosphorylated ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) foci induced by 8 keV laser plasma X rays were comparable to those induced by 4 MV X rays. These results indicate that the laser plasma X ray source may be useful for radiation biology studies.
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