The observation of the extensive air showers has been carried out since 1990 by Tibet air-shower array to study the origin of the cosmic-rays. In order to investigate the chemical composition around ...the knee, air-shower core detector was used in two experimental phases aiming to separate light primary elements (proton and helium). In a first phase experiment made in 1996–1999, primary proton and helium spectra were measured using a hybrid detector consisted of Tibet II air-shower array, emulsion chambers, and burst detectors. The result indicated that the fraction of light elements among the all particle spectrum is less than 30%. We performed the second phase experiment in 2002–2005 to measure proton
+
helium together to confirm the previous result with higher statistics by improving the detection efficiency for the air-shower cores. The P
+
He spectrum was obtained in a good agreement with previous result by several times higher statistics. The flux of the light elements, together with the all-particle energy spectrum, indicates the dominance of nuclei heavier than helium in the energy range around the knee. We also present the outline of the next phase experiment, which is to measure the heavy elements around the knee, using low threshold air-shower core detector named YAC.
The correlation dimension d
GP of cosmic ray muon time series recorded at Misato underground station at a depth of 34 hg/cm
2 has been calculated by means of the Grassberger and Procaccia algorithm. ...From the time series, background white noise which is caused by the counting-rate error and gives a serious impact on the estimation of d
GP is removed by means of a technique of the wavelet expansion. Marked periodic variations which are caused by cosmic ray anisotropies and make it difficult to obtain a reliable value of d
GP are also removed from the time series by means of a recursive digital filter. Using the muon time series which is apparently free from both the background white noise and the daily variation, we could estimate a reliable value of the correlation dimension for three different periods which correspond to different levels of solar activity. It is found that the correlation dimension changes only slightly with the level of solar activity.
An 82-year-old woman with type 2 diabetes had been treated with recombinant human insulin for 16 years. She developed large swellings in both sides of her lower abdomen. The masses were soft, ...painless, and located around her insulin injection sites. Based on the history and clinical features, a diagnosis of insulin-induced lipohypertrophy was made. Total resection revealed that the lesions were composed entirely of fatty tissue. Microscopic examination showed nests of mature adipocytes expanding toward the dermal reticular layer. The hypertrophic adipocytes were twice as large as those from normal subcutaneous areas and contained numerous small lipid droplets. Electron microscopic analysis also revealed a minor population of small adipocytes, suggesting active differentiation or proliferation. Thus, the possible in vivo effects of insulin on adipocytes were clearly observed in this case of insulin-induced lipohypertrophy. To our knowledge, this is the first report of insulin-induced lipohypertrophy with detailed histological examinations.
Graft‐versus‐host disease (GVHD) is the most common and well‐known cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic bone marrow transplantation. Sporadic cases have been reported after cadaveric ...donor liver transplantation with usually fatal outcomes, however, the actual incidence and the characteristics of GVHD after living donor liver transplantation (LDLT) remain unknown. We herein report a person who developed fatal GVHD following LDLT and discuss the applicability of an HLA‐homozygous donor to an HLA‐haploidentical recipient. A 48‐year‐old male underwent LDLT for unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma with alcoholic liver cirrhosis. The donor was his 20‐year‐old son whose pretransplant HLA typing was homozygous at all loci. GVHD occurred 35 days after LDLT and was characterized by fever, diarrhea, maculopapular rash, and leukopenia, which led to the development of fatal pneumonia. We identified 4 cases of GVHD after LDLT in Japan and 1 in the United States, all associated with the use of an HLA‐homozygous donor. The use of an HLA homozygous donor which results in a complete 1‐way donor‐recipient HLA match carries an extremely high risk of developing GVHD after LDLT. Therefore, it is possible that LDLT should be ruled out for such donors. A pretransplant work‐up of the HLA type in both the donors and recipients is therefore imperative before determining the indications for LDLT. (Liver Transpl 2004;10:460–464.)
Significant enhancements of the cosmic ray sidereal diurnal variation were observed during the period 1992–1995 by the two‐hemisphere network of surface‐level multidirectional muon telescopes at ...Hobart (Tasmania, Australia) and Nagoya (Aichi, Japan). The telescopes cover the primary cosmic ray rigidity range of 50–120 GV. Since the enhancement is less prominent in the higher rigidity range (150–550 GV) covered by the shallow underground observations at Misato and Sakashita, it is concluded that the enhancement was caused by significant solar modulation in the lower energy region. Observed sidereal diurnal variations, corrected for spurious variations by a procedure proposed by Nagashima, give a space harmonic vector with amplitude of 0.104 ± 0.008% at 60 GV and maximum at 6.9 ± 0.3 hour local sidereal time. The time of maximum is consistent with northward streaming of cosmic rays perpendicular to the ecliptic plane. Such a north–south anisotropy is expected from cross‐field ξNS = − λ⊥ Gθ diffusion if both the cross‐field mean‐free‐path λ⊥ and the southward directed unidirectional latitudinal density gradient Gθ have large enough magnitudes. It is shown that the sector‐dependent solar diurnal variations are also enhanced in the period, consistent with Gθ being directed south of the ecliptic plane. Magnitudes of Gθ and λ⊥ derived from the observations are discussed.
Background Cationic liposomes containing the human interferon β (HuIFNβ) gene (IAB-1) was used for the clinical trial for glioma patients. HuIFNβ gene therapy showed much higher anti-tumor activity ...compared with the administration of HuIFNβ protein for melanoma. These results suggest that HuIFNβ gene therapy is an attractive strategy for the treatment of melanoma. Methods Stage IV or III melanoma patients with cutaneous or subcutaneous metastatic lesions were enrolled in this pilot study. IAB-1 was dissolved by sterile PBS at a concentration of 30 µg DNA/ml and was injected into cutaneous or subcutaneous metastatic nodules three times a week for 2 weeks and the effect on the injected and non-injected metastatic lesions was evaluated. Results Clinical responses were as follows (five patients): mixed response (MR) and no change in each one patient, and progressive disease in three patients. In the MR patient, the IAB-1 injected lesion disappeared clinically and histopathologically and one-half of IAB-1 non-injected skin metastases were transiently inflamed and mostly regressed. In the responded non-injected lesions of this patient, histopathologically, infiltration of CD4 positive T cells was observed around the melanoma cells in the dermis, which expressed the HLA-Class II antigen. Adverse events due to this gene therapy were not recognized in any of the patients. Conclusions The efficacy of this gene therapy was generally insufficient; however, some immunological responses were recognized in one patient. No adverse events were observed. HuIFNβ gene therapy could be an attractive strategy for treatment of a variety of malignancies, including melanoma, though some modifications should be required.
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