Adsorptive properties of albumin, fibrinogen, and gamma-globulin on fluorinated diamond-like carbon films coated on PTFE.

Fluorinated diamond-like carbon (F-DLC) films were deposited on polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) using radio frequency (RF) plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition (CVD) by changing the ratio of tetrafluoromethane (CF(4)) and methane (CH(4)). To enhance the adhesion strength of the F-DLC film to the PTFE substrate, the PTFE surface was modified with a N(2) plasma pre-treatment. XPS analysis of the films showed that the C-C bond decreased with increases in the CF(4) ratio, whereas the C-F bond increased with the CF(4) ratio.

Development of tissue adhesion method using integrated low-level energies.

We have developed a method that allows biological tissues to be adhered together with minimal invasion by delivering integrated low-level energies from heat, pressure, and vibration. Tensile tests on adhered slices of porcine aorta were performed to determine the relationships between adhesive strength and conditions such as adhesion temperature, time, pressure, and vibration. The maximal adhesive shear tensile strength using the proposed method was 0.

Estimation of changes in dynamic hydraulic force in a magnetically suspended centrifugal blood pump with transient computational fluid dynamics analysis.

The effect of the hydraulic force on magnetically levitated (maglev) pumps should be studied carefully to improve the suspension performance and the reliability of the pumps. A maglev centrifugal pump, developed at Ibaraki University, was modeled with 926 376 hexahedral elements for computational fluid dynamics (CFD) analyses. The pump has a fully open six-vane impeller with a diameter of 72.

Axial magnetic bearing development for the BiVACOR rotary BiVAD/TAH.

A suspension system for the BiVACOR biventricular assist device (BiVAD) has been developed and tested. The device features two semi-open centrifugal impellers mounted on a common rotating hub. Flow balancing is achieved through the movement of the rotor in the axial direction.

Urinary evaluation of the balance between the soluble interferon-gamma receptor (IFN-gammaR1) and the interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4Ralpha) in children with vesicoureteral reflux.

We planned to investigate the urinary soluble cytokine receptor profile in patients with vesico-ureteric reflux (VUR). The urine levels of soluble interferon-gamma receptor R1 (sIFN-gammaR) and soluble interleukin-4 receptor alpha (sIL-4R) were measured using an ELISA technique. The urine levels of sIFN-gammaR in the patients with VUR were significantly higher than those in the healthy controls (p < 0.

Development of a local vacuum system for focused ion beam machining.

A local vacuum system for focused ion beam (FIB) processing, with a workpiece set in the air, has been developed. The local vacuum apparatus had a double-wall cylinder structure, used a differential exhaust, and each cylinder was connected to a vacuum exhaust pump. When the gap between the workpiece and the apparatus was 10 microm, the pressure of beam line in the machining head achieved 2.

[Assessment of rate of infection with agents of bacterial infections in ticks captured on one of the Moscow park terrains].

Aim: To study the rate of infection of ticks captured one of the Moscow park terrains with bacteria (agents of tick borreliosis and anaplasmosis).

Materials And Methods: Rates of infection of dried ticks with agents of main tick-borne bacterial infections (tick borreliosis and anaplasmosis) were determined by nested PCR.

Results: In May-June 2006, 76 ticks (40 adult females, 36 adult, males) belonged to Ixodes ricinus species were captured by the method "on flag".

Determination of the age-related changes of serum basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) level in healthy Japanese subjects.

We determined the serum basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF) levels in healthy Japanese individuals to establish a reference value by means of specific human bFGF ELISA. It was found that there were no significant differences between the serum bFGF levels of children and adults. However, the reference value for children had a broader range than that of adults.

Age-dependent decreases in serum soluble interleukin-1 receptor type I (sIL-1RI) in healthy individuals: a population study of serum sIL-1RI levels in Japanese subjects.

The levels of several soluble cytokine receptors in body fluids of healthy individuals change with age. Clinical application of the measurement of the serum soluble interleukin-1 receptor type I (sIL-1RI) level depends critically on the samples used as the controls. At present, there is no information regarding the levels of serum sIL-1RI in healthy subjects.

[A long-term survival case of gastric cancer with liver metastases treated by hepatic arterial infusion chemotherapy].

Although systemic chemotherapy has been recognized as a standard treatment for gastric cancer with synchronous hepatic metastasis, the survival benefit of the therapy is still unsatisfactory. On the other hand, the local effect of intra-hepatic arterial chemotherapy (HAIC) is very high, and HAIC combined with systemic chemotherapy and surgery will be an effective therapy for selected patients. Here, we report a 39-year-old female case with advanced gastric cancer and synchronous liver metastasis.

[A fatal case of small cell type undifferentiated carcinoma of the esophagus with sudden diarrhea and bloody discharge by CPT-11].

When a male patient(age: 63)came to our hospital to report his discomfort in swallowing on February 16, 2005, we observed that a tumor of the subcircular type 2 had invaded his descending aorta directly, which was equivalent to the range from tracheal bifurcation to esophagogastric junction. At the same time, we found multiple metastases in lymph node which were from both cervixes to the range around the aorta abdominalis, and pleural effusion on both sides. We diagnosed them as small cell type undifferentiated esophageal carcinoma(T4N4M1, Stage IVb)with esophagus lesion.

Urinary evaluation of the balance between soluble interferon-gamma receptor (IFN-gammaR1) and interleukin-4 receptor (IL-4Ralpha).

To elucidate the usefulness of the simultaneous analysis of multiple kinds of soluble cytokine receptors in urine specimens, we determined the levels of both the soluble interferon-gamma receptor alpha chain (sIFN-gammaR1, Th1-type cytokine receptor) and the soluble interleukin 4-receptor alpha chain (sIL-4Ralpha, Th2-type cytokine receptor) in the urine of healthy subjects as reference values and preliminarily applied this method to evaluate patients with diarrhea positive (D+) hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS) as the diagnostic parameters. The urinary sIFN-gammaR levels of children were significantly lower than those of adults (p < 0.01, n = 107).

Nutrigenomic studies of effects of Chlorella on subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related disease.

In order to clarify the physiological effects of Chlorella intake on subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases, we conducted Chlorella ingestion tests on 17 subjects with high-risk factors for lifestyle-related diseases and 17 healthy subjects over a 16-week period, including a 4-week post-observation period. We conducted blood biochemical tests and analyzed gene expression profile in whole blood cells in the peripheral blood before and after Chlorella intake. We confirmed that in both groups, Chlorella intake resulted in noticeable reductions in body fat percentage, serum total cholesterol, and fasting blood glucose levels.

Determination of age-related changes in human vascular endothelial growth factor in the serum and urine of healthy subjects.

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is an important regulator of endothelial cells and a key promoter of angiogenesis in physiological and pathophysiological conditions. A large number of studies dealing with body fluid measurement of VEGF for diagnostic and therapeutic monitoring have been reported. Neither the age-related profile of serum and urine VEGF levels nor the correlation between serum and urinary VEGF levels has been sufficiently investigated.

Prevalence of Anaplasma phagocytophilum and its coinfection with Borrelia afzelii in Ixodes ricinus and Ixodes persulcatus ticks inhabiting Tver Province (Russia) - a sympatric region for both tick species.

Human granulocytic anaplasmosis (HGA) and Lyme borreliosis (LB) are tick-borne infectious diseases caused by Anaplasma phagocytophilum and Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato species, respectively. In this study, p44/msp2 paralogues specific to A. phagocytophilum and 5S-23S rRNA gene-intergenic spacers specific to B.

Prevalence and genetic diversity of Bartonella species isolated from wild rodents in Japan.

Here, we describe for the first time the prevalence and genetic properties of Bartonella organisms in wild rodents in Japan. We captured 685 wild rodents throughout Japan (in 12 prefectures) and successfully isolated Bartonella organisms from 176 of the 685 rodents (isolation rate, 25.7%).

Age-dependent decrease in serum soluble interferon-gamma receptor (sIFN-gammaR) in healthy Japanese individuals; population study of serum sIFN-gammaR level in Japanese.

We planned to investigate the clinical significance of serum soluble interferon-gamma receptor (sIFN-gammaR) level in pediatric patients. The diagnostic application of the measurement of serum sIFN-gammaR level depends critically on the control value. However, there is no information of the control value of serum sIFN-gammaR for children.

Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, Francisella tularensis and their co-infections in host-seeking Ixodes ricinus ticks collected in Serbia.

To evaluate the prevalence rate of tick-borne bacterial pathogens, unfed adult Ixodes ricinus ticks were collected from vegetation in 2001, 2003, and 2004 at 18 localities throughout Serbia. A total of 287 ticks were examined by PCR technique for the presence of Borrelia burgdorferi sensu lato, Anaplasma phagocytophilum, and Francisella tularensis. The highest prevalence rate was that for B.

Current status of leptospirosis in Japan and Philippines.

Leptospirosis is an acute febrile illness with a wide variety of clinical manifestations and is encountered throughout the world, prominently in tropical areas with high rainfall. In this paper, we review the current status of leptospirosis in two Asian countries, Japan and Philippines, which have quite different situations in terms of economy, environment, infrastructures and prevailing infectious diseases. In Japan, until 1960, more than 200 deaths due to leptospirosis had been reported yearly.

[A case report of gastric small cell carcinoma with long survival time by adjuvant chemotherapy--reports of chemotherapy regimens for gastric small cell carcinoma].

Gastric small cell carcinomas are rather rare. The incidence of small cell carcinomas of all histological types of gastric tumors is about 0.1%.

Detection of Borrelia garinii, Borrelia tanukii and Borrelia sp. closely related to Borrelia valaisiana in Ixodes ticks removed from dogs and cats in Japan.

Ticks removed from 1136 dogs and 134 cats all over Japan were examined for Borrelia infection by PCR and sequencing. The 5S-23S rDNA intergenic spacer of Borrelia was detected from two Ixodes persulcatus ticks from two dogs and two unidentified Ixodes spp. from another two dogs in Hokkaido, and two Ixodes granulatus ticks from two cats in Okinawa.