Summary
Cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass is associated with the development of a systemic inflammatory response that can often lead to dysfunction of major organs. We hypothesised that the ...highly selective α2‐adrenergic agonist, dexmedetomidine, attenuates the systemic inflammatory response. Forty‐two patients were randomly assigned to receive dexmedetomidine or saline after aortic cross‐clamping). The mean (SD) levels of the nuclear protein plasma high‐mobility group box 1 increased significantly from 5.1 (2.2) ng.ml−1 during (16.6 (7.3) ng.ml−1) and after (14.3 (8.2) ng.ml−1) cardiopulmonary bypass in the saline group. In the dexmedetomidine group, the levels increased significantly only during cardiopulmonary bypass (4.0 (1.9) ng.ml−1 baseline vs 10.8 (2.7) ng.ml−1) but not after (7.4 (3.8) ng.ml−1). Dexmedetomidine infusion also suppressed the rise in mean (SD) interleukin‐6 levels after cardiopulmonary bypass (a rise of 124.5 (72.0) pg.ml−1 vs 65.3 (30.9) pg.ml−1). These suppressive effects of dexmedetomidine might be due to the inhibition of nuclear factor kappa B activation and suggest that intra‐operative dexmedetomidine may beneficially inhibit inflammatory responses associated with ischaemia‐reperfusion injury during cardiopulmonary bypass.
•Mass comparator for transporting and weighing sub-milligram weights presented.•Apparatus can handle weights such as wire weight, sheet weight, and disk weight.•Weighing tests of wire weights and ...sheet weights from 1 mg to 0.1 mg were performed.•Mass calibration of weight with nominal mass of 0.1 mg was realized.
Sub-milligram mass standards are important to ensure the reliability of small mass measurements. A mass comparator capable of accurately transporting and weighing sub-milligram weights was developed at the National Metrology Institute of Japan. This apparatus can handle weights of various shapes such as wire weight, sheet weight, and disk weight. The weighing tests of wire weights and sheet weights ranging from 1 mg to 0.1 mg were performed using the developed apparatus. The mass calibration of weight with a nominal mass of 0.1 mg was realized with a standard uncertainty of 0.075 μg by comparing the test weight and the reference weight. This paper describes the details of the developed mass comparator, the standard deviation of the weighing value of the weight obtained using this apparatus, and the uncertainty of mass calibration of sub-milligram weights.
This paper develops smooth-threshold estimating equations that can automatically eliminate irrelevant parameters by setting them as zero. The resulting estimator enjoys the oracle property in the ...sense of Fan & Li (2001), even in estimators for which the covariance assumption of Wang & Leng (2007) is violated, such as the Buckley–James estimator. Furthermore, the estimator can be obtained without solving a convex optimization problem. A bic-type criterion for tuning parameter selection is also proposed. It is shown that the criterion achieves consistent model selection. A numerical study confirms the performance of the method.
•High-accuracy mass calibration of sub-milligram weights was realized by using a recently developed automatic weight transfer apparatus and an analytical calibration method that is often used for ...mass calibration of small-mass weights.•The mass calibrations of sub-milligram weights were realized with standard uncertainties smaller than those of previous studies performed by other NMIs.•To improve the calibration uncertainty of the sub-milligram weights achieved in this study, it is necessary to improve the uncertainty of calibrated masses of reference weights, update the balance used, and stabilize the measurement environment.
Mass standards are essential for the precise measurement of mass. Due to the increasing demand for small mass measurements, it is essential to be able to disseminate the sub-milligram mass standard from the National Metrology Institutes. Recently, the National Metrology Institute of Japan has developed an apparatus for mass calibration of sub-milligram weights by automatically transporting the weights. Consequently, the masses of the weights can be calibrated accurately and reliably. Sub-multiple calibration is often used for accurate mass calibration of weights smaller than 1 kg. In this study, by combining this method with the developed apparatus, the mass calibration uncertainty of sub-milligram weights was improved. The mass calibrations of 0.1 mg, 0.2 mg, and 0.5 mg weights were performed with standard uncertainties of 0.019 µg, 0.023 µg, and 0.040 µg, respectively. These uncertainties were smaller than the calibration uncertainties obtained by manually transporting sub-milligram weights to an ultra-micro balance.
Peroxide has been considered a chemical agent that can be used to tune the properties of polymeric materials. This research evaluated the influence of different concentrations of dialkyl peroxides on ...the mechanical, thermal, and morphological properties of linear low-density polyethylene (LLDPE) and ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene (UHMWPE). The neat polymer, as well as those with the addition of 1% and 2% by mass of dialkyl peroxides, were subjected to compression molding and immersion in water for 1 h, under controlled temperatures of 90 °C. The values of the gel content found in the samples indicated that the addition of peroxide to the LLDPE and to the UHMWPE promoted the formation of a reticulated network. The structure obtained by the crosslinking led to less reorganization of the chains during the crystallization process, resulting in the formation of imperfect crystals and, consequently, in the reduction in melting temperatures, crystallization and enthalpy. The mechanical properties were altered with the presence of the crosslinker. The polymers presented had predominant characteristics of a ductile material, with the occurrence of crazing with an increased peroxide content.
A retrospective analysis was performed to evaluate the clinical characteristics and prognostic factors in the patients with clear cell carcinoma (CCC) of the ovary. After central pathological review ...and scanning of the medical records of nine Japanese institutions between 1992 and 2003, a total of 254 patients with CCC of the ovary were enrolled in the present study. Mean age was 52.4 years (range 23-73 years). Tumours were 13% (33/254) stage Ia, 36% (92/254) stage Ic, 13% (33/254) stage II, 30% (80/254) stage III, and 6% (16/254) stage IV. Five-year progression-free survival and overall survival was 84 and 88% in stage I, 57 and 70% in stage II, 25 and 33% in stage III and 0 and 0% in stage IV, respectively. Retroperitoneal lymph node metastasis was observed in 9% in pT1a tumours, 7% in pT1c tumours, 13% in pT2 tumours, and 58% in pT3 tumours, respectively. There was no survival benefit according to chemotherapeutic differences in the patients who received complete surgical staging procedures and conventional chemotherapy. Peritoneal cytological status was an independent prognostic factor in stage Ic patients (P=0.03) and only residual tumour diameter was an independent prognostic factor in stage III, IV patients (P=0.02). Our results suggest that cytoreductive surgery resulting in no residual tumour only could improve the prognosis of advanced CCC patients.
The aim of this study was to evaluate tumour vascularity and Kupffer cell imaging in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) using contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) with Sonazoid (perfluorobutane) and ...to compare performance with dynamic CT.
We studied 118 nodules in 88 patients with HCC. HCC was diagnosed as a hyperenhancement lesion in the arterial phase with washout in the portal phase on dynamic CT or by percutaneous biopsy. We observed tumour vascularity at the early vascular phase (10-30 s after contrast injection) and Kupffer imaging at the post-vascular phase (after 10 min).
Detection of vascularity at the early vascular phase was 88% in nodules that were found to be hypervascular on dynamic CT and 28% in hypo-/isovascular nodules; the detection of local recurrence nodules was 92%. The detection of vascularity was significantly lower in nodules >9 cm deep than in those ≤9 cm deep, but was not affected by tumour size. The detection of tumours at the post-vascular phase on CEUS was 83% in nodules with low density in the portal phase on dynamic CT and 82% in nodules with isodensity. The rate did not depend on the severity of underlying liver disease; rates decreased in nodules deeper than 9 cm, those smaller than 2 cm in diameter and in iso-enhancing nodules at the early vascular phase of CEUS.
CEUS with Sonazoid is a useful tool for assessing the vascularity of HCC and is equal to that of dynamic CT; however, the detectability of HCC vascularity is affected by location.
The purpose of this study was to determine whether docetaxel has antitumour activity in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma. Chemotherapy-naïve or previously treated patients ...(one regimen) with histopathologically documented endometrial carcinoma and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status </=2 entered the study. Docetaxel 70 mg m(-2) was administered intravenously on day 1 of a 3-week cycle up to a maximum of six cycles. If patients responded well to docetaxel, additional cycles were administered until progressive disease or unacceptable toxicity occurred. Of 33 patients with a median age of 59 years (range, 39-74 years) who entered the study, 14 patients (42%) had received one prior chemotherapy regimen. In all, 32 patients were evaluable for efficacy, yielding an overall response rate of 31% (95% confidence interval, 16.1-50.0%); complete response and partial response (PR) were 3 and 28%, respectively. Of 13 pretreated patients, three (23%) had a PR. The median duration of response was 1.8 months. The median time to progression was 3.9 months. The predominant toxicity was grade 3-4 neutropenia, occurring in 94% of the patients, although febrile neutropenia arose in 9% of the patients. Oedema was mild and infrequent. Docetaxel has antitumour activity in patients with advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma, including those previously treated with chemotherapy; however, the effect was transient and accompanied by pronounced neutropenia in most patients.
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