Traits of Developmental Disorders in Adults With Listening Difficulties Without Diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder And/or Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Some individuals have a normal audiogram but have listening difficulties (LiD). As many studies have investigated the relationship between listening and developmental disorders, the traits of developmental disorders might explain the symptoms of LiD. In this study, we examined the traits of developmental disorders of adults with LiD to help clarify the cause of LiD symptoms.

Cognitive neural responses in the semantic comprehension of sound symbolic words and pseudowords.

Introduction: Sound symbolism is the phenomenon of sounds having non-arbitrary meaning, and it has been demonstrated that pseudowords with sound symbolic elements have similar meaning to lexical words. It is unclear how the impression given by the sound symbolic elements is semantically processed, in contrast to lexical words with definite meanings. In event-related potential (ERP) studies, phonological mapping negativity (PMN) and N400 are often used as measures of phonological and semantic processing, respectively.

Tensile and shear bond strengths of a stainless steel used in orthodontic brackets bonded to bovine enamel using two types of resin cement.

The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between the bond strength of stainless steel with two types of resin cements (MMA- and composite-based) on bovine enamel depending on the directionality of the applied force. The specimens were either placed in water or subjected to thermal cycles (TC), and the shear or tensile bond strengths (SBS or TBS) were determined. The SBS showed significantly greater than the TBS for both types of cement, and the SBS and TBS for composite-based cement had larger than MMA-based one.

Wear Behavior between Aesthetic Restorative Materials and Bovine Tooth Enamel.

Tooth enamel wear occurs because of daily mastication and occlusion. This study investigated the wear behavior of bovine teeth against aesthetic restorative materials in vitro. Abrader specimens were fabricated using four tooth-colored restorative materials (zirconia, lithium disilicate glass ceramic, dental porcelain, and resin composite), with bovine tooth enamel as a control.

Absence of multiple sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMPs) is not a specific feature of patients with pathological sleep prolongation.

Purpose: Multiple sleep-onset rapid eye movement periods (SOREMPs) are involved in the pathophysiology of narcolepsy, but it is not clear whether the lack of multiple SOREMPs is associated with the pathophysiology of idiopathic hypersomnia or not. We examined the significance of multiple SOREMPs in patients with pathological sleep prolongation.

Methods: Participants were consecutive patients complaining of unexplained sleepiness and agreed to a 3-day-sleep studies; 24 h polysomnography (PSG) followed by standard PSG and multiple sleep latency test (MSLT).

Clinical time course of pediatric acute disseminated encephalomyelitis.

The detailed clinical time course in acute disseminated encephalomyelitis (ADEM) from initial symptoms, through exacerbation, to remission has not been widely reported. Hence, this study aimed to investigate the clinical time course of pediatric ADEM. This was a multicenter retrospective study based on registry data from medical chart reviews.

Surface Structure of Organic Semiconductor [ n]Phenacene Single Crystals.

Surface structure relaxation of organic semiconductors affects the properties of organic devices, although such relaxation has not been well explored. Only two examples have been experimentally reported; tetracene shows a large surface relaxation, while rubrene exhibits no relaxation. Therefore, a systematic investigation of the surface relaxation is conducted on [ n]phenacenes ( n = 5, 7, and 9).

Effects of Sanyaku and Its Constituent Diosgenin on the Fasted and Postprandial Hypertriacylglycerolemia in High-Fat-Diet-Fed KK- A Mice.

In this study, we examined the fasted and postprandial triacylglycerol (TG) levels in KK- A mice fed a high-fat diet (HFD) or a HFD containing either 500 ppm (0.05%) of diosgenin or 500 ppm (0.05%) of diosgenin-containing Chinese yam sanyaku.

Clinical prediction rule for neurological sequelae due to acute encephalopathy: a medical community-based validation study in Harima, Japan.

Objectives: This study aimed to verify the screening performance of our clinical prediction rule for neurological sequelae due to acute encephalopathy (NSAE-CPR), which previously identified the following three variables as predictive of poor outcomes: (1) refractory status epilepticus; (2) consciousness disturbance and/or hemiplegia at 6 hours from onset and (3) aspartate aminotransferase >90 IU/L within 6 hours of onset.

Design: Medical community-based multicentre retrospective cohort study.

Setting: Six regional hospitals in Harima and one tertiary centre in Kobe, Japan, from 2008 to 2012.

Convolutional auto-encoder for image denoising of ultra-low-dose CT.

Objectives: The purpose of this study was to validate a patch-based image denoising method for ultra-low-dose CT images. Neural network with convolutional auto-encoder and pairs of standard-dose CT and ultra-low-dose CT image patches were used for image denoising. The performance of the proposed method was measured by using a chest phantom.

Direct Estimation of the Surface Location of Immobilized Functional Groups for Concerted Catalysis Using a Probe Molecule.

The location of active sites during concerted catalysis by a metal complex and tertiary amine on a SiO2 surface is discussed based on the interaction between the functionalized SiO2 surface and a probe molecule, p-formyl phenylboronic acid. The interactions of the probe molecule with the surface functionalities, diamine ligand, and tertiary amine, were analyzed by FT-IR and solid-state (13)C and (11)B MAS NMR. For the catalyst exhibiting high 1,4-addition activity, the diamine ligand and tertiary amine base exist in closer proximity than in the catalyst with low activity.

Effect of gold deposition onto titanium on the adsorption of alkanethiols as the protein linker functionalizing the metal surface.

A new method to enhance the biofunctionalization of Ti materials was developed by the immersion of Au-sputtered titanium plates into a solution of alkanethiol with a carboxy group end (HS-C11-COOH). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) analysis showed that the gold content increased with the Au sputtering time and reached over 98 at% after 100 s. The content of the characteristic alkanethiol elements (S, C, and O) in the immersed Ti specimens increased with the Au sputtering time, which indicates that the binding of alkanethiol molecules is enhanced by the Au modification on the Ti surface.

Simulation of Drug Release from PLGA Particles In Vivo.

Specific targeting of tissues and/or cells is essential for any type of drug delivery system because this determines the efficacy and side effects of the drug. Poly lactic-co-glycolic acids (PLGA) have long been used as biomaterials for drug delivery due to their excellent biocompatibility and biodegradability. Direct visualization of PLGA particles is feasible even within tissues, and cell specificity of the drug delivery system is normally assessed by using labeled particles.

[Effect of tracheostomy with imipramine on apneusis attacks in a girl with Rett syndrome].

A girl with Rett syndrome was suffered from severe apneusis attacks, resulting in cardiopulmonary arrest, which required resuscitation. Her apneusis attacks did not respond at all to diazepam, magnesium citrare or tricyclic antidepressants but ceased by tracheostomy with oral imipramine. The breathing abnormality appeared to involve difficulty in terminating inspiration.

Survey of patient and public perceptions of electronic health records for healthcare, policy and research: study protocol.

Background: Immediate access to patients' complete health records via electronic databases could improve healthcare and facilitate health research. However, the possible benefits of a national electronic health records (EHR) system must be balanced against public concerns about data security and personal privacy. Successful development of EHR requires better understanding of the views of the public and those most affected by EHR: users of the National Health Service.

Flavone-catalyzed apoptosis in Scutellaria baicalensis.

In response to mechanical damage, roots of Scutellaria baicalensis undergo cell death within 24h. The flavone baicalein was identified as the factor regulating apoptosis in the damaged roots of S. baicalensis.

Viscoelastic behavior of commercially available tissue conditioners under compression.

Three commercially available tissue conditioners -Tissue conditioner II (STII), Tissue conditioner (GTC), and Tissue Care (TTC)- were tested using a rheometer to evaluate their viscoelasticity under compression at a constant distortion (10%). Immediately after fabrication, STII showed the highest hardness and compressive modulus of elasticity, followed by TTC and GTC. TTC showed the highest relaxation rate, followed by GTC and STII.

Viscoelastic adlayers of collagen and lysozyme studied using quartz crystal microbalance with dissipation monitoring.

In this study the effects of molecular structure of proteins on their adsorption behaviour and viscoelasticity are investigated using a QCM-D method. The adsorption measurements show that spherical lysozyme is rapidly adsorbed on the gold surface as a stiff monolayer, as indicated by a sharp drop in the oscillation frequency (Deltaf) of the sensor, and by a very small increase in the energy dissipation of the adlayer (DeltaD). Fibrous calfskin collagen (CSC) is, however, adsorbed on the same surface rather slowly in two steps to form a thick and soft multilayer (large Deltaf and DeltaD) at pH 3 in salt-free conditions.

The design and optimization of a series of 2-(pyridin-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazole compounds as allosteric glucokinase activators.

The optimization of a series of benzimidazole glucokinase activators is described. We identified a novel and potent achiral benzimidazole derivative as an allosteric GK activator. This activator was designed and synthesized via removal of the chiral center of the lead compound, 6-(N-acylpyrrolidin-2-yl)benzimidazole.

Discovery and structure-activity relationships of a novel class of quinazoline glucokinase activators.

We describe design, syntheses and structure-activity relationships of a novel class of 4,6-disubstituted quinazoline glucokinase activators. Prototype quinazoline leads (4 and 5) were designed based on the X-ray analyses of the previous 2-aminobenzamide lead classes. Modifications of the quinazoline leads led to the identification of a potent GK activator (21d).

Molecular basis for E-cadherin recognition by killer cell lectin-like receptor G1 (KLRG1).

The killer cell lectin-like receptor G1, KLRG1, is a cell surface receptor expressed on subsets of natural killer (NK) cells and T cells. KLRG1 was recently found to recognize E-cadherin and thus inhibit immune responses by regulating the effector function and the developmental processes of NK and T cells. E-cadherin is expressed on epithelial cells and exhibits Ca(2+)-dependent homophilic interactions that contribute to cell-cell junctions.

Silkworm expression and sugar profiling of human immune cell surface receptor, KIR2DL1.

Immune cell surface receptors are directly involved in human diseases, and thus represent major drug targets. However, it is generally difficult to obtain sufficient amounts of these receptors for biochemical and structural studies because they often require posttranslational modifications, especially sugar modification. Recently, we have established a bacmid expression system for the baculovirus BmNPV, which directly infects silkworms, an attractive host for the large-scale production of recombinant sugar-modified proteins.

Discovery of novel 2-(pyridine-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazole derivatives as potent glucokinase activators.

The synthesis and structure-activity-relationships (SARs) of novel 2-(pyridine-2-yl)-1H-benzimidazole glucokinase activators are described. Systematic modification of benzimidazole lead 5a identified from a high-throughput screening led to the discovery of a potent and metabolically stable glucokinase activator 16p(R) with greater structural diversity from GKAs reported to date. The compound also demonstrated acute oral glucose lowering efficacy in rat OGTT model.