Advantages and potential of lipid-membrane-incorporating fullerenes prepared by the fullerene-exchange method.

Lipid-membrane-incorporating C(60) and C(70) (LMIC(60) and LMIC(70)) were prepared by the fullerene-exchange reaction from the γ-cyclodextrin cavity to vesicles (we call this method the "exchange method"). An advantage of this method is that the ratios of [C(60)]/[lipids] and [C(70)]/[lipids] can be arbitrarily controlled by adjusting the ratios of the fullerenes and liposome. The maximum ratio (30 mol%) obtained was approximately 14 and 100 times higher than those achieved for LMIC(60) and LMIC(70) , respectively, that were prepared by the classical method, which we call the "premixing method" (dissolving lipids and C(60) or C(70) in chloroform, followed by concentration and extraction with water).

Impact of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration on management of isolated fundal gastric variceal bleeding.

Aim:   Although endoscopic injection of cyanoacrylate (CA) is the only effective method for treating isolated fundal gastric variceal bleeding, the rebleeding rate is relatively high. This study investigated the efficacy of balloon-occluded retrograde transvenous obliteration (B-RTO) for management of isolated fundal gastric variceal bleeding.

Methods:   Patients (n = 110) with acute or recent bleeding from isolated fundal gastric varices (GV) were retrospectively studied.

Augmented reality navigation system for laparoscopic splenectomy in children based on preoperative CT image using optical tracking device.

Purpose: In endoscopic surgery, limited views and lack of tactile sensation restrict the surgeon's abilities and cause stress to the surgeon. Therefore, an intra-operative navigation system is strongly recommended. We developed an augmented reality (AR) navigation system based on preoperative CT imaging.

Health effects of flooding in rural Bangladesh.

Background: There is little information available on nontraumatic health risks as the result of floods, and on the factors that determine vulnerability to them (especially in low-income settings). We estimated the pattern of mortality, diarrhea, and acute respiratory infection following the 2004 floods in rural Bangladesh.

Methods: We conducted controlled interrupted time-series analysis of adverse health outcomes, from 2001 to 2007, in a cohort of 211,000 residents of the Matlab region classified as flooded or nonflooded in 2004.

The roles of interleukin-6 in the pathogenesis of rheumatoid arthritis.

Several clinical studies have demonstrated that the humanized anti-interleukin-6 (IL-6) receptor antibody tocilizumab (TCZ) improves clinical symptoms and prevents progression of joint destruction in rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, the precise mechanism by which IL-6 blockade leads to the improvement of RA is not well understood. IL-6 promotes synovitis by inducing neovascularization, infiltration of inflammatory cells, and synovial hyperplasia.

Optimal timing of insecticide fogging to minimize dengue cases: modeling dengue transmission among various seasonalities and transmission intensities.

Background: Dengue infection is endemic in many regions throughout the world. While insecticide fogging targeting the vector mosquito Aedes aegypti is a major control measure against dengue epidemics, the impact of this method remains controversial. A previous mathematical simulation study indicated that insecticide fogging minimized cases when conducted soon after peak disease prevalence, although the impact was minimal, possibly because seasonality and population immunity were not considered.

IL-6/IL-6 receptor system and its role in physiological and pathological conditions.

IL (interleukin)-6, which was originally identified as a B-cell differentiation factor, is a multifunctional cytokine that regulates the immune response, haemopoiesis, the acute phase response and inflammation. IL-6 is produced by various types of cell and influences various cell types, and has multiple biological activities through its unique receptor system. IL-6 exerts its biological activities through two molecules: IL-6R (IL-6 receptor) and gp130.

Development of a needle insertion manipulator for central venous catheterization.

Background: Central venous catheterization is a procedure in which a doctor inserts a catheter into a patient's vein for transfusions. Risks of this procedure include bleeding from the puncture of blood vessels and pneumothorax caused by pleural puncture. To avoid these and other risks, physicians are required to ensure that the needle is inserted securely and that it stops within the vein.

The influence of temperature and humidity on the incidence of hand, foot, and mouth disease in Japan.

Background: The increasing evidence for rapid global climate change has highlighted the need for investigations examining the relationship between weather variability and infectious diseases. However, the impact of weather fluctuations on hand, foot, and mouth disease (HFMD), which primarily affects children, is not well understood.

Methods: We acquired data related to cases of HFMD and weather parameters of temperature and humidity in Fukuoka, Japan between 2000 and 2010, and used time-series analyses to assess the possible relationship of weather variability with pediatric HFMD cases, adjusting for seasonal and interannual variations.

Nonmetallic rigid-flexible outer sheath with pneumatic shapelocking mechanism and double curvature structure.

Single port access (SPA) surgery is a laparoscopic procedure using only one transumbilical-placed port. Natural orifice transluminal endoscopic surgery (NOTES) offers the possibility of surgery without visible scars. To address the access and stability problems in SPA and NOTES, we developed a device called rigid-flexible outer sheath.

Regime shifts and heterogeneous trends in malaria time series from Western Kenya Highlands.

Large malaria epidemics in the East African highlands during the mid and late 1990s kindled a stream of research on the role that global warming might have on malaria transmission. Most of the inferences using temporal information have been derived from a malaria incidence time series from Kericho. Here, we report a detailed analysis of 5 monthly time series, between 15 and 41 years long, from West Kenya encompassing an altitudinal gradient along Lake Victoria basin.

Articular cartilage of the posterior condyle can affect rotational alignment in total knee arthroplasty.

Purpose: Rotational alignment is important for patellar tracking, ligament balance, and tibiofemoral congruity after total knee arthroplasty (TKA). The posterior condylar axis is often referred to as a rotational alignment landmark. However, articular cartilage wear localized only in the medial condyle might affect the accuracy of rotation, because surgical planning based on CT does not consider the cartilage thickness.

Roles of vascular endothelial growth factor and endothelial nitric oxide synthase during revascularization and regeneration after partial hepatectomy in a rat model.

Purpose: Angiogenesis is an essential process in liver regeneration. Nitric oxide (NO) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) are the main regulators of normal and pathological angiogenesis. This study aimed to determine the roles of NO derived from endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and VEGF in sinusoidal endothelial cell (SEC) proliferation during liver regeneration.

Trauma center accessibility for road traffic injuries in Hanoi, Vietnam.

Background: Rapid economic growth in Vietnam over the last decade has led to an increased frequency of road traffic injury (RTI), which now represents one of the leading causes of death in the nation. Various efforts toward injury prevention have not produced a significant decline in the incidence of RTIs. Our study sought to describe the geographic distribution of RTIs in Hanoi, Vietnam and to evaluate the accessibility of trauma centers to those injured in the city.

Predictive factors for platelet count after laparoscopic splenectomy in cirrhotic patients.

Purpose: The purpose of our study was to investigate predictive factors for platelet count at 1 month after splenectomy in patients with liver cirrhosis.

Methods: A total of 60 patients with liver cirrhosis who were treated with splenectomy from January 2005 to December 2006 were enrolled in the study (hepatitis C, n = 50; hepatitis B, n = 6; alcoholism, n = 2; others, n = 2). Various preoperative clinical characteristics, including spleen weight, were analyzed by simple and multiple linear regressions to study the relationship between platelet count before and after splenectomy.

A colorimetric assay of protein kinase activity based on peptide-induced coagulation of gold nanorods.

We succeeded in applying gold nanorods (NRs) for the detection of protein kinase (PK) activity based on a substrate-induced coagulation mechanism. Because NRs have cationic surface charges due to surface-adsorbed cetyltrimethylammonium bromide, phosphorylated substrate peptides, which gain augmented anionic charges by phosphorylation, induce coagulation of the NRs, resulting in a red-to-blue color change of the corresponding NR dispersion. A large absorption coefficient of the NRs at the near-IR region enabled clear-cut detection of the peptide-induced coagulation.

Preparation of free-standing films of natural polysaccharides using hot press technique and their surface functionalization with biomimetic apatite.

This study demonstrated that gel-like polyion complexes obtained by mixing of aqueous solution of chondroitin sulfate, heparin, and hyaluronic acid with that of chitosan were able to form their free-standing films using hot press treatments. These films, having thicknesses ca. 50 and 100 μm, depending on the spacer thickness, were homogeneous and non-porous at the microscopic level, and were not water-soluble.

Laparoscopic splenectomy with interferon therapy in 100 hepatitis-C-virus-cirrhotic patients with hypersplenism and thrombocytopenia.

Background And Aim: We intended to determine whether laparoscopic splenectomy (Lap-Sp) contributes to treatment with interferon therapy in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-cirrhotic patients with thrombocytopenia caused by hypersplenism.

Methods: From December 2004 to August 2008, 100 cirrhotic patients (54 men and 46 women) underwent Lap-Sp for a clinical application of interferon therapy. All the patients were Child-Pugh class A or B with thrombocytopenia (average platelet count, 56 × 10(3) /mm(3)).

The orientation of orthopaedic metallic devices relative to the frequency-encoding gradient affects susceptibility artifacts: an experiment using open MR imaging.

Purpose: To evaluate the magnetic susceptibility artifacts associated with different frequency-encoding gradient directions for an angled cephalomedullary device of the proximal femur, and to determine the optimal extremity positioning for reducing artifacts using 0.4 T open MR imaging.

Materials And Methods: Two different angular devices made of titanium alloy and stainless steel were used.

Liver regeneration is promoted by increasing serotonin content in rat liver with secondary biliary cirrhosis.

Aim:   Liver cirrhosis clinically shows thrombocytopenia and hypersplenism. Although splenectomy is performed to achieve higher platelet count and better hemostasis, the effect of splenectomy for liver cirrhosis remains unclear. The aim of the present study that was focused on serotonin was to investigate the relationship between splenectomy and liver regeneration in rats with secondary biliary cirrhosis.

"Clickable" pillar[5]arenes.

Introduction of bulky substituents such as benzyl and pyrenyl groups using click reactions inhibited or slowed the rotation of the units on the NMR chemical shift timescale. The perpyrenylated pillar[5]arene showed a thermally-responsive excimer emission, but a unit model of the perpyrenylated pillar[5]arene did not exhibit such a response.

Malaria prevalence, risk factors and spatial distribution in a hilly forest area of Bangladesh.

Background: Malaria is a major public health concern in Bangladesh and it is highly endemic in the Chittagong Hill Tracts where prevalence was 11.7% in 2007. One sub-district, Rajasthali, had a prevalence of 36%.

Ultra-minimally invasive local immune cell therapy and regenerative therapy by multi-piercing surgery for abdominal solid tumor: therapeutic simulation by natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery-assisted needlescopic surgery using 3-mm diameter robots.

Background/purpose: We have invented multi-piercing surgery (MPS) which could potentially solve the triangular formation loss and device clashing which occur in single-port surgery (SPS), as well as restricted visual field, organ damage by needle-type instruments, and impaired removal of a resected organ from the body which occur in needlescopic surgery (NS). MPS is natural orifice translumenal endoscopic surgery (NOTES)-assisted NS. We used 3-mm diameter robots as needle-type instruments for MPS to examine the possibility of local immune cell therapy and regenerative therapy using stem cells for pancreatic cancer.