G-Induced Loss of Consciousness Prediction Using a Support Vector Machine.

Gravity-induced loss of consciousness (G-LOC) is a major threat to fighter pilots and may result in fatal accidents. The brain has a period of 5-6 s from the onset of high +G exposure, called the functional buffer period, during which transient ischemia is tolerated without loss of consciousness. We tried to establish a method for predicting G-LOC within the functional buffer period by using machine learning.

Ultra-high-purity iron is a novel and very compatible biomaterial.

Metals and alloys are used widely in bone prosthetic materials, stents and dental tissue reconstructions. The most common materials are stainless steels and cobalt-chromium-nickel and titanium alloys. These alloys can be easily deformed but are hard to break.

Anticentromere antibody-positive primary Sjögren's syndrome: Epitope analysis of a subset of anticentromere antibody-positive patients.

Objectives: Anticentromere antibody (ACA) is generally considered to be a serological marker for systemic sclerosis (SSc). ACA-positive patients with primary Sjögren's syndrome (pSS) have also been reported. ACA often recognizes centromere proteins (CENPs): CENP-A, CENP-B, and CENP-C, and sometimes reacts to heterochromatin protein 1 (HP1)α.

A case of multicentric Castleman's disease having lung lesion successfully treated with humanized anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab.

This report presents the case of a patient demonstrating multicentric Castleman's disease (MCD) with a lung lesion that was successfully treated with an anti-interleukin-6 receptor antibody, tocilizumab in combination with corticosteroid and tacrolimus. A 43-yr-old female with abnormal shadows on a chest X-ray was referred to the hospital for further examination. She was diagnosed as having MCD based on the characteristic pathology of inguinal lymph node, lung lesions, laboratory data, and undifferentiated arthritis.

The relationships between titers of anti-Ro or anti-La as measured by ELISA and salivary production rate with age correction.

The objective of this work was to clarify the clinical significance of titers of anti-Ro and anti-La, the relationships between titers of either anti-Ro or anti-La, and salivary production rate (SPR). These autoantibodies were titrated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The Saxon test was performed to measure SPR.

Negative correlation of anti-U1RNP antibody titers and the amount of salivary secretion with age correction.

Objective: The aim of this study was to reveal whether or not the presence of anti-U1RNP antibodies is associated with a low amount of salivary secretion (ASS).

Subjects And Methods: Twenty females (mean age 49+/-12 years) who had anti-U1RNP but not ACA, anti-Ro, or anti-La antibodies (anti-U1RNP-positive group), and 65 control females (mean age 50+/-12 years) were included in this study. The saxon test was performed to measure the ASS.

Primary biliary cirrhosis in female subjects with sicca-associated antibodies.

The aim of this study is to clarify the time course of primary biliary cirrhosis (PBC) in subjects possessing anticentromere antibodies (ACA), anti-Ro, and/or anti-La antibodies, and who used alkaline phosphatase (ALP) as a serological marker for PBC. Female subjects (n = 165), who had at least one of ACA, anti-Ro, and/or anti-La, were enrolled in this study. Groups A (ACA alone, n = 44), B (anti-Ro alone, n = 54), E (anti-Ro and anti-La, n = 52), and DFG (ACA with anti-Ro and/or anti-La, n = 14) were analyzed.

Intermittent intravenous cyclophosphamide pulse therapy for the treatment of active interstitial lung disease associated with collagen vascular diseases.

The availability of intravenous cyclophosphamide (CYC) pulse therapy for collagen vascular diseases (CVD)-associated interstitial lung disease (ILD) has been indicated. However, the standard protocol concerning the dosage and the interval of CYC infusion has not yet been established. The aim of this study is to elucidate the efficacy and the safety of our "divided administration" protocol of CYC for the treatment of CVD-ILD.

Investigation for analytical procedure for determination of trace metallic ions in simulated body fluids by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES).

Influences of matrix elements and high viscosity in three kind of simulated body fluids (SBFs) on determination of trace metallic elements (Co, Cr, Ni, Al and V) by inductively coupled plasma atomic emission spectrometry (ICP-AES) were investigated. In addition, decreases of these effects were attempted by H(2)SO(4) fume treatment. Calibration lines of the elements were constructed by the standard solutions made of elemental solutions and HCl or the SBFs.

Panniculitis in a patient with mixed connective tissue disease.

A 51-year-old woman who had been suffering from mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD) for 8 years developed an erythematous rash with pain and tenderness on her left leg. A skin biopsy revealed septal panniculitis with multiple lymphangiectasis. No vasculitis was observed.

Successful coil embolization of a ruptured hepatic aneurysm in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa accompanied by angioimmunoblastic T cell lymphoma.

Polyarteritis nodosa (PN) occasionally develops in association with malignant disorders. A 71-year-old man suddenly suffered from bleeding due to the rupture of a hepatic artery aneurysm. The ruptured lesion was embolized endovascularly by coiling, and the bleeding was stopped.

Detection of up-regulated genes in thrombin-stimulated human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Introduction: Thrombin, a serine protease, plays an important role in such actions as coagulation, cell proliferation and inflammation. It has been sporadically reported that endothelial cells, when stimulated by thrombin via protease-activated receptors (PAR), express various mediators and proteins including cytokines, chemokines, growth factors, and adhesion molecules. However, the pleiotropic effect of thrombin on endothelial cells has not yet been fully elucidated.

Effect of cevimeline on salivary components in patients with Sjögren syndrome.

The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of cevimeline on various components in human saliva, such as immunoglobulin A (IgA), lysozyme, alpha-amylase and squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) antigen. Twelve female patients with Sjögren syndrome (SS) and 14 healthy women were enrolled. After the first saliva collection, one capsule (30 mg) of cevimeline was administered to each subject.

A patient with a Mycobacterium avium complex infection complicated by systemic lupus erythematosus.

A 41-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of fever and polyarthralgia. A diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was made based on the findings of polyarthritis, leukocytopenia, lymphocytopenia, proteinuria, and positive reactions for antinuclear antibody (ANA) and anti-double strand (ds)DNA antibody. She had also been suffering from a pulmonary Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection with such symptoms as cough and sputum for the past 3 years.

A case of rheumatoid arthritis that developed autoimmune hepatitis associated with anti-Golgi complex antibody.

Abstract A 50-year-old woman, who had been diagnosed as having rheumatoid arthritis (RA) 7 months earlier, was admitted to our hospital because of liver dysfunction. Her laboratory data and histological findings satisfied the criteria for autoimmune hepatitis (AIH) as revised by the International AIH Group. Laboratory examinations (indirect immunofluorescence and immunoblotting analyses) revealed that anti-Golgi complex antibodies (AGA) were positive in her serum.

Polyarteritis associated with hypopharyngeal carcinoma.

A rare case of polyarteritis associated with a solid tumor is presented. A 66-year-old man was referred to our hospital, because of gangrene in the bilateral fingers and toes, right pleural effusion, and an abnormal sensation in the throat. A diagnosis of polyarteritis was made based on pleuritis, digital gangrene and the arteriography findings.

Regulation of proteinase-activated receptor 1 by inflammatory mediators in human vascular endothelial cells.

Thrombin plays a critical role in haemostasis, inflammation, and cell proliferation, mediated by proteinase-activated receptor 1 (PAR-1; thrombin receptor). The physiological and pathological regulation of PAR-1 by inflammatory mediators has not yet been fully elucidated. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of inflammatory mediators on mRNA and protein expression of PAR-1 in early passage human vascular endothelial cells.

Complex regional pain syndrome type I induced by pacemaker implantation, with a good response to steroids and neurotropin.

An 84-year-old woman was referred to our hospital because of aches and pain in her left hand and foot. Three months before her symptoms occurred, a pacemaker had been implanted for the treatment of a 2:1 atrioventricular block with bradycardia. In an X-ray examination, prominently decreased bone density was noted in her left fingers and toes.

The effects of affinity-purified anti-DNA antibodies from patients with systemic lupus erythematosus on the fluorescent antinuclear antibody assay using HEp-2 cells.

The aim of this study was to clarify the effects of anti-dsDNA antibodies on the titer and the nuclear staining pattern(s) in a fluorescent antinuclear antibody (FANA) assay using HEp-2 cells. Anti-dsDNA derived from 14 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) was individually affinity-purified. The anti-dsDNA titer of the purified anti-dsDNA solution was measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA) or by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA).