Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein in pediatric nephrotic syndrome and tubular dysfunction.

Background: Urinary liver-type fatty acid-binding protein (uL-FABP) has recently been identified as a biomarker for kidney injury. uL-FABP excretion in pediatric relapsing nephrotic syndrome and tubular dysfunction, however, has not been reported previously.

Methods: We measured uL-FABP level in children with steroid-sensitive nephrotic syndrome (SSNS), in those with tubular dysfunction, and in control subjects.

Determination of intrinsic attenuation in the oceanic lithosphere-asthenosphere system.

We recorded and waves traveling through the oceanic lithosphere-asthenosphere system (LAS) using broadband ocean-bottom seismometers in the northwest Pacific, and we quantitatively separated the intrinsic (anelastic) and extrinsic (scattering) attenuation effects on seismic wave propagation to directly infer the thermomechanical properties of the oceanic LAS. The strong intrinsic attenuation in the asthenosphere obtained at higher frequency (~3 hertz) is comparable to that constrained at lower frequency (~100 seconds) by surface waves and suggests frequency-independent anelasticity, whereas the intrinsic attenuation in the lithosphere is frequency dependent. This difference in frequency dependence indicates that the strong and broad peak dissipation recently observed in the laboratory exists only in the asthenosphere and provides new insight into what distinguishes the asthenosphere from the lithosphere.

Application of a new microcantilever biosensor resonating at the air-liquid interface for direct insulin detection and continuous monitoring of enzymatic reactions.

Here we describe the application of a recently developed high-resolution microcantilever biosensor resonating at the air-liquid interface for the continuous detection of antigen-antibody and enzyme-substrate interactions. The cantilever at the air-liquid interface demonstrated 50% higher quality factor and a 5.7-fold increase in signal-to-noise-ratio (SNR) compared with one immersed in the purified water.

A repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity study of cyflumetofen,a novel acaricide, in rats.

Cyflumetofen is a novel acaricide which is highly active against phytophagous mites. As a part of safety assessment, a repeated dose 90-day oral toxicity study of cyflumetofen was conducted in Fischer (F344/DuCrj) rats of both sexes. Technical grade cyflumetofen was administered in feed to groups of 10 males and 10 females at dose levels of 0, 100, 300, 1,000, and 3,000 ppm.

High-resolution cantilever biosensor resonating at air-liquid in a microchannel.

We have developed a highly mass-sensitive cantilever resonating at the interface of air and liquid. The cantilever is applicable as a biosensor by measuring its resonance frequency shift associated with the selective trapping of target molecules. One surface of the cantilever facing to the liquid is functionalized for label-free detection, while the opposite side is exposed to air to improve the resonance characteristics, such as the quality factor.

Serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin levels in children with chronic renal diseases.

Background: Recent studies showed that serum and urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) represents a novel, sensitive, specific biomarker for early detection of acute kidney injury. However, the clinical significance of measuring serum and urinary NGAL on chronic renal diseases remains unclear.

Methods: In this study, we measured serum and urinary NGAL levels in patients with several common pediatric renal diseases such as renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 90 mL/min/1.

Elevated Src kinase activity attenuates Tamoxifen response in vitro and is associated with poor prognosis clinically.

Activated Src kinase may contribute to the progression and spread of breast cancers and recent in vitro evidence suggests a role for Src in acquired endocrine resistance. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether modulation of Src activity in endocrine-sensitive and endocrine-resistant breast cancer cells directly affected their phenotype and sensitivity to 4-hydroxy Tamoxifen (tamoxifen) and to determine whether Src activity in breast cancer tissue affected patient outcome. Expression of constitutively active Src in ER-positive, endocrine-sensitive MCF7 breast cancer cells resulted in the development of an aggressive phenotype, akin to that previously observed in cell models of Tamoxifen resistance, and, significantly, attenuated their response to tamoxifen.

Multiple organ toxicity, including hypochromic anemia, following repeated dose oral administration of phenobarbital (PB) in rats.

A 4-week repeated dose oral toxicity study of phenobarbital (PB) sodium was conducted in F344 rats of both sexes at PB doses of 0.8, 8, and 80 mg/kg/day to fully elucidate its general toxicity including hematological changes. Both sexes in the 80 mg/kg/day group showed staggering gait, lacrimation, and/or sedation, which were more evident in the early stage of treatment.

Global surface wave tomography using seismic hum.

The development of global surface wave tomography using earthquakes has been crucial to exploration of the dynamic status of Earth's deep. It is naturally believed that only large earthquakes can generate long-period seismic waves that penetrate deep enough into Earth for such exploration. The discovery of seismic hum, Earth's background free oscillations, which are randomly generated by oceanic and/or atmospheric disturbances, now provides an alternative approach.

Small single-crystal silicon cantilevers formed by crystal facets for atomic force microscopy.

We have developed a batch fabrication method of small cantilevers formed by crystal facets of single-crystal silicon for improving the sensitivity of atomic force microscopy. In order to realize a small cantilever with a very sharp tip, we have employed KOH anisotropic etching and local oxidation of silicon. We have made two types of small cantilevers, the V-shaped triangular type and the bulk triangular type.

Seismic evidence for sharp lithosphere-asthenosphere boundaries of oceanic plates.

The mobility of the lithosphere over a weaker asthenosphere constitutes the essential element of plate tectonics, and thus the understanding of the processes at the lithosphere-asthenosphere boundary (LAB) is fundamental to understand how our planet works. It is especially so for oceanic plates because their relatively simple creation and evolution should enable easy elucidation of the LAB. Data from borehole broadband ocean bottom seismometers show that the LAB beneath the Pacific and Philippine Sea plates is sharp and age-dependent.

Photothermal excitation and laser Doppler velocimetry of higher cantilever vibration modes for dynamic atomic force microscopy in liquid.

The authors present an optically based method combining photothermal excitation and laser Doppler velocimetry of higher cantilever vibration modes for dynamic atomic force microscopy in liquid. The frequency spectrum of a silicon cantilever measured in water over frequencies ranging up to 10 MHz shows that the method allows us to excite and detect higher modes, from fundamental to fifth flexural, without enhancing spurious resonances. By reducing the tip oscillation amplitude using higher modes, the average tip-sample force gradient due to chemical bonds is effectively increased to achieve high-spatial-resolution imaging in liquid.

Hydroxyapatite-pulp composite fiber sheet bed: A new material for the immobilization of CHO-K1 cells.

A new immobilization material for cell culture, ahydroxyapatite-pulp composite fiber (HAPC) sheet bed, was usedto grow CHO-K1 cells. The sheet bed for cell culture wasprepared from HAPC fiber by paper-making techniques. Scanning electron microscopic analysis revealed that the HAPCsheet bed had a structure consisting of piled fibers with spaces 10-200 mum in diameter and a pore surface area of 0.

Wheezing illness caused by respiratory syncytial virus and other agents.

Background: Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and other pathogenic agents cause lower respiratory infection with wheezing in infants (wheezing illness in infancy). Wheezing illness in infancy due to RSV can be life-threatening and can induce recurrent wheezing; but these events can also be produced by infection by other pathogenic agents. Thus, whether RSV induces more severe wheezing illness in infancy remains poorly understood.

Diphyllobothriasis nihonkaiense: possibly acquired in Switzerland from imported Pacific salmon.

A 5-year-old Japanese boy passed tapeworm strobila while he was living in Switzerland. During a short visit to Japan, he was successfully treated with a single dose of praziquantel. DNA sequences of ITS1, cox1 and nd3 genes from the tapeworm were compatible with those of Diphyllobothrium nihonkaiense rather than Diphyllobothrium latum, which is prevalent in Europe.

Induction of an epithelial integrin alphavbeta6 in human cytomegalovirus-infected endothelial cells leads to activation of transforming growth factor-beta1 and increased collagen production.

Human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection is a major cause of morbidity in immunosuppressed individuals, and congenital CMV infection is a leading cause of birth defects in newborns. Infection with pathogenic viral strains alters cell-cell and cell-matrix interactions, affecting extracellular matrix remodeling and endothelial cell migration. The multifunctional cytokine transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 regulates cell proliferation, differentiation, and extracellular matrix remodeling.

Real-time observation of FIB-created dots and ripples on GaAs.

We report a phenomenological study of Ga dots and ripples created by a focused ion beam (FIB) on the GaAs(001) surface. Real-time observation of dot diffusion and ripple formation was made possible by recording FIB movies. In the case of FIB irradiation with a 40 nA current of Ga(+) ions accelerated under 40 kV with an incidence angle of θ = 30°, increasing ion dose gives rise to three different regimes.

Silicon-based integrated interferometer with phase modulation driven by surface acoustic waves.

As a novel application of silicon-based integrated optics, results from a proposed compact Mach-Zehnder interferometer are presented. The deposition of a ZnO thin-film transducer upon the reference arm of the interferometer transforms this optically passive device into a device with active sinusoidal phase modulation.

Seismic evidence for deep-water transportation in the mantle.

We report seismic evidence for the transportation of water into the deep mantle in the subduction zone beneath northeastern Japan. Our data indicate that water is released from the hydrated oceanic crust at shallow depths (< approximately 100 kilometers) and then forms a channel of hydrated mantle material on top of the subducting plate that is the pathway for water into the deep mantle. Our result provides direct evidence that shows how water is transported from the ocean to the deep mantle in a cold subduction zone environment.

Combing and self-assembly phenomena in dry films of Taxol-stabilized microtubules.

Microtubules are filamentous proteins that act as a substrate for the translocation of motor proteins. As such, they may be envisioned as a scaffold for the self-assembly of functional materials and devices. Physisorption, self-assembly and combing are here investigated as a potential prelude to microtubule-templated self-assembly.

Activated c-SRC in ductal carcinoma in situ correlates with high tumour grade, high proliferation and HER2 positivity.

Overexpression and/or activity of c-Src non-receptor tyrosine kinase is associated with progression of several human epithelial cancers including breast cancer. c-Src activity in 'pure' ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) was measured to assess whether this predicts recurrence and/or correlates with HER2 expression and other clinical parameters. Activated c-Src levels were evaluated in DCIS biopsies from 129 women, with median follow-up at 60 months.

Cytotrophoblasts infected with a pathogenic human cytomegalovirus strain dysregulate cell-matrix and cell-cell adhesion molecules: a quantitative analysis.

Studies of intrauterine human cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection have shown suppressed replication in the decidua and placenta of strongly seropositive women. Biopsy specimens often contain CMV virion glycoprotein B and DNA in syncytiotrophoblasts and villus core macrophages without productive infection. Focal replication occurs in placentas of women with low to moderate neutralizing antibody titres.

C1q nephropathy with asymptomatic urine abnormalities.

We found four cases of C1q nephropathy (C1qN) among a total of 193 pediatric series of first renal biopsies. Among them, 94 biopsies were performed because of asymptomatic urine abnormalities detected by school urinary screening program in Japan; three cases out of these 94 biopsies (3.2%) met the criteria of C1qN.

Interleukin-1beta decreases expression of the epithelial sodium channel alpha-subunit in alveolar epithelial cells via a p38 MAPK-dependent signaling pathway.

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a devastating syndrome characterized by diffuse alveolar damage, elevated airspace levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines, and flooding of the alveolar spaces with protein-rich edema fluid. Interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta) is one of the most biologically active cytokines in the distal airspaces of patients with ALI. IL-1beta has been shown to increase lung epithelial and endothelial permeability.