Introduction The apoptosis inhibitor of macrophages (AIM) is a peptide that has important roles in the processes inducing chronic inflammation in visceral fat. At present, AIM is known (1) to be ...increased in blood concentration according to obesity progression and (2) to directly affect adipose tissue to induce lipolysis which stimulates release of free fatty acids and consequently induces infiltration of macrophages. AIM dynamics in OSAS remains unknown. This study aimed to compare plasma AIM concentration (CAIM) changes in OSAS patients before and after nCPAP therapy and to evaluate the usefulness of AIM as a marker for chronic inflammation of visceral fat in OSAS patients. Materials and methods Out of 62 male patients who visited the Division of Behavioral Sleep Medicine, Iwate Medical University with a suspicion of concomitant OSAS based on snoring, respiratory arrest during sleep, daytime sleepiness, diabetes mellitus, and drug- resistant hypertension, followed by admission to undergo PSG, this study included 27 patients who were started on nCPAP therapy and provided consent for PSG using nCPAP therapy. Results CAIM correlated positively with the AHI, the arousal index, and the desaturation index. However, there was no correlation with BMI. CAIM were significantly higher in the AHI_†30 group than in the AHI <30 group. And, CAIM were significantly decreased after nCPAP therapy. CLep correlated positively with AHI, the arousal index, and the desaturation index. In comparison by severity, the concentrations tended to be increased in the AHI_†30 group but the difference did not reach statistical significance. Morover, CLep were significantly decreased after nCPAP therapy. Although hsCRP did not correlate with either AHI or the arousal index, there was a positive correlation with the desaturation index. However, comparison between the AHI ⩾ 30 and AHI <30 groups revealed no significant difference in hsCRP concentrations, nor was there any significant difference between before and after nCPAP therapy. Conclusion This study suggested that AIM might be a novel marker not only for the existence (or the extent) of chronic inflammation of visceral fat due to OSAS but also for the severity of sleep-disordered breathing. Acknowledgements We are indebted to MS Fumiyo E who is laboratory medical technologist of Iwate Medical University School of Medicine for analysis of PSG.
Although exercise training improves hippocampus-related cognition, the optimum exercise intensity is still disputed. Based on the lactate threshold (LT, approximately 20 m/min on treadmill) of rats, ...we have shown that 2 weeks of training with stress-free mild exercise (ME, <LT), but not intense exercise (IE, >LT), comprising exercise stress, promotes adult hippocampal neurogenesis (Okamoto et al., PNAS, 2012), a potential substrate for memory improvement. These results led us to postulate that long-term ME, but not IE, training leads to improved hippocampal function as assessed with a Morris water maze (MWM) task. To test this hypothesis, we investigated the changes in physiological stress levels and MWM task performance in rats assigned to 6 weeks of sedentary control (CONT), ME-training or IE-training conditions. Results showed that, compared to the other conditions, only IE causes general adaptive syndrome (GAS), including adrenal hypertrophy, thymic atrophy and hypercorticosteronemia. In the MWM, ME led to enhanced memory, but not learning, compared with CONT, while IE produced no change in either capacity, probably due to GAS. These findings support the hypothesis that 6 weeks of continuous ME training leads to enhanced hippocampus-related memory, which may have implications for both healthy adults and subjects with low physical capacity.
Simulation of power converters has traditionally been carried out using simplified models to shorten simulation time. This will compromise the accuracy of the results. A proposed fast simulation ...method for simulating converter losses and device temperatures over long mission profiles (load cycles) is described in this paper. It utilizes accurate physics-based models for the device losses, and is validated with experimentally obtained results.
Background. Little information is available on the incidence of renal stones with ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r) use. Methods. In a single-center study, the incidence of renal stones was ...compared between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)—infected patients who commenced ritonavir-boosted atazanavir (ATV/r)—containing antiretroviral (ARV) therapy (the ATV/r group) and those who were receiving other protease inhibitors (the other PIs group). The effects of ATV/r were estimated by univariate and multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models. Other possible risk factors were evaluated by univariate analysis, and those found to be significant were entered into multivariate analysis. Results. Renal stones were diagnosed in 31 patients (23.7 cases per 1000 person-years) in the ATV/r group (n = 465) and 4 in patients (2.2 cases per 1000 person-years) in the other PIs group (n = 775). ATV/r use was significantly associated with renal stones, by univariate and multivariate analyses (adjusted hazard ratio, 10.44; 95% confidence interval CI, 3.685–29.59; P < .001). ATV/r remained a significant risk factor for renal stones in all subgroups stratified by the median values of baseline variables. In the 31 patients receiving ATV/r who developed renal stones, the median time from commencement of ATV/r to diagnosis was 24.5 months (interquartile range, 14.7–34.6 months). Of the 18 patients who continued ATV/r despite the diagnosis of renal stones, 6 (33.3%) experienced recurrence. No patient who discontinued ATV/r experienced recurrence during the observation period (250.6 person-months). Conclusions. The incidence of renal stones was substantially higher among patients in the ATV/r group, compared with patients in the other PIs group. Continuation of ATV/r after diagnosis of renal stones was associated with a high rate of recurrence. Switching ATV/r to other ARVs is warranted in patients who develop renal stones.
This paper describes the development and implementation of an analytical 3-D thermal model for fast and accurate thermal simulation of power device modules in electrothermal converter simulation. A ...Fourier-based solution is used to solve the 3-D heat equation. The solution can describe the variation of temperature through the whole inverter power module structure as a function of time. The model can simulate thermal interactions resulting from multiple heat sources. The thermal model is extremely fast to simulate compared to finite-element (FEM) approaches. The new model has been implemented in MATLAB/Simulink in order to cosimulate with the converter model which is in the same form. The model has been validated against the computational fluid dynamics (CFD) software package FLOTHERM and shows good agreement. The required aspects of 3-D heat diffusion are captured successfully by the Fourier-based model.
The role of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) and its receptor (IGF-IR) in brain pathology is still unclear. Thus, either reduction of IGF-IR or treatment with IGF-I, two apparently opposite ...actions, has proven beneficial in brain diseases such as Alzheimer´s dementia (AD). A possible explanation of this discrepancy is that IGF-I down-regulates brain IGF-IR levels, as previously seen in a mouse AD model. We now explored whether under normal conditions IGF-I modulates its receptor. We first observed that in vitro, IGF-I reduced IGF-IR mRNA levels in all types of brain cells including neurons, astrocytes, microglia, endothelial cells, and oligodendrocytes. IGF-I also inhibited its own expression in neurons and brain endothelium. Next, we analyzed in vivo actions of IGF-I. As serum IGF-I can enter the brain, we injected mice with IGF-I intraperitoneously. As soon as one hour after injection, decreased hippocampal IGF-I levels were observed, followed by increased IGF-I and IGF-IR mRNAs six hours later. As environmental enrichment (EE) stimulates the entrance of serum IGF-I into the brain, we analyzed whether a physiological entrance of IGF-I also produced changes in brain IGF-IR. Stimulation of IGF-IR by EE triggered a gradual decrease in hippocampal IGF-I levels. After six hours of EE exposure, IGF-I levels reached a significant decrease in parallel with increased IGF-IR expression. After longer times, IGF-IR mRNA levels returned to baseline. Thus, under non-pathological conditions, IGF-I regulates brain IGF-IR. Because baseline IGF-IR levels are rapidly restored, a tight control of brain IGF-IR expression seems to operate under physiological conditions.
Highlights • Relation between VTE and LC-NA system was examined during a T-maze choice task. • Both VTE and activity of LC-NA neurons increased depending on the choice difficulty. • VTE and c-Fos ...expression in LC-NA neurons were significantly correlated. • Clonidine suppressed the occurrence of VTE with impairment of a valuable choice.
Aging impairs cerebrovascular plasticity and subsequently leads cerebral hypoperfusion, which synergistically accelerates aging-associated cognitive dysfunction and neurodegenerative diseases ...associated with impaired neuronal plasticity. On the other hand, over two decades of researches have successfully demonstrated that exercise, or higher level of physical activity, is a powerful and nonpharmacological approach to improve brain function. Most of the studies have focused on the neuronal aspects and found that exercise triggers improvements in neuronal plasticity, such as neurogenesis; however, exercise can improve cerebrovascular plasticity as well. In this chapter, to understand these beneficial effects of exercise on the cerebral vasculature, we first discuss the issue of changes in cerebral blood flow and its regulation during acute bouts of exercise. Then, how regular exercise improves cerebrovascular plasticity will be discussed. In addition, to shed light on the importance of understanding interactions between the neuron and cerebral vasculature, we describe neuronal activity-driven uptake of circulating IGF-I into the brain.
Background/Purpose
Irritancy levels of surfactants on human skin have not been clarified completely. The relationships between skin damage and changes of skin properties caused by various surfactants ...were investigated using non‐invasive measurements.
Methods
Aqueous solutions of seven kinds of anionic, non‐ionic, and amphoteric surfactants were exposed to the inside of forearm skin of 20 human subjects in two separate studies using the cup method. Hydration of the stratum corneum (SC), transepidermal water loss (TEWL), pH, skin surface roughness, and contents of the SC were measured before and after one exposure and after five and nine consecutive exposures to various surfactants. The discontinuation ratio of subjects for testing in each surfactant was determined by skin irritation symptoms and was defined as the degree of skin damage.
Results
Significant changes were observed only in hydration, TEWL, and natural moisturizing factors (NMF) content in the SC following surfactant exposure. A significant correlation was observed between the discontinuation ratio of each surfactant and the changes of hydration, TEWL, and NMF. Especially, the change of SC hydration showed an excellent correlation with the discontinuation ratio both for single (r = 0.942, P < 0.001) and for chronic exposures (r = 0.934, P < 0.001).
Conclusion
Our results indicate that the change of hydration of the SC is equivalent to the skin damage caused by surfactants, and therefore is the most suitable indicator to evaluate the irritation of surfactants on the skin.
An in-situ positron analysis system has been developed for positron annihilation lifetime spectroscopy during ion beam irradiation. An electron linear accelerator was used to produce a slow positron ...beam for this system. Positron lifetime spectroscopy of SiO2/Si and annealed pure Fe samples was successfully demonstrated during simultaneous irradiation with a 150 keV Ar+ beam. The lifetime spectra changed with increasing ion dose, indicating a decrease in ortho-positronium intensity (SiO2) and the decrease in positron diffusion length (Fe).
PDF
