Steam distillation process for flavor enhancement of milk coffee: Effects of condensation temperature on volatile compounds and flavor characteristics.

To enhance the flavor characteristics of milk coffee, steam distillation was applied to roasted ground coffee to obtain extracts that were then added to the hot water extract of the residue. The effects of different condensation temperatures for steam distillation on the volatile compounds of condensates and the flavor characteristics of the milk coffees prepared with each condensate were investigated. The volatile compounds were analyzed by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and principal component analysis (PCA) was performed on the mean peak areas of the volatiles that showed significant differences between the samples.

Scaffold-Free Bone Marrow-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cell Sheets Enhance Bone Formation in a Weight-Bearing Rat Critical Bone Defect Model.

Researchers have been exploring alternative methods for bone tissue engineering, as current management of critical bone defects may be a significant challenge for both patient and surgeon with conventional surgical treatments associated with several potential complications and drawbacks. Recent studies have shown mesenchymal stem cell sheets may enhance bone regeneration in different animal models. We investigated the efficacy of implanted scaffold-free bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cell (BMSC) sheets on bone regeneration of a critical bone defect in a weight-bearing rat model.

Mechanical Model for Super-Anisotropic Swelling of the Multi-Cylindrical PDGI/PAAm Gels.

MC-PDGI/PAAm gels are cylindrical composite gels containing poly(dodecyl glyceryl itaconate) (PDGI) as a polymerized lipid oriented in a multilayer tubular shape within a polyacrylamide (PAAm) network. The most unique feature of the MC-PDGI/PAAm gel is its super-anisotropic swelling, wherein the diameter of the gel increases, but the length decreases with an increase in the volume of the gel. Through swelling and small-angle X-ray diffraction experiments, we investigated the effects of PDGI lipid bilayers and polymer network on the swelling of the MC-PDGI/PAAm gel, which suggests that the swelling anisotropy of the MC-PDGI/PAAm gel is dominated by the elasticity of the PDGI bilayers.

Examination of body static rotation related to step length asymmetry: biomechanics of the thorax and pelvis.

[Purpose] This study determined whether the results of the mobility assessment of pelvic and thoracic rotation (static evaluation), which is often used in clinical settings, are related to step length asymmetry. Moreover, we identified the postural evaluation of rotation that may be related to gait asymmetry. [Participants and Methods] We hypothesize that a certain relationship exists between the static assessments of pelvic rotation and step length asymmetry.

Lipid chain-driven interaction of a lipidated Src-family kinase Lyn with the bilayer membrane.

-Myristoylation is a process of ubiquitous protein modification, which promotes the interaction of lipidated proteins on cell surfaces, in conjunction with reversible -palmitoylation. We report the cooperative lipid-lipid interaction of two acyl chains of proteins, which increases the protein-membrane interaction and facilitates selective targeting of membranes containing anionic lipids. Lyn is a member of the Src family kinases distributed on the membrane surface by -myristoyl and neighbouring -palmitoyl chain anchors at the unique N-terminus domain.

Early functional recovery after two-stage surgery with an allogenic bone graft for baseplate loosening in reverse shoulder arthroplasty: a case report.

Objectives: Reverse shoulder arthroplasty (RSA) for cuff tear arthropathy results in good shoulder function. However, RSA is associated with several complications, including infection, dislocation of the shoulder joint, implant loosening, and axillary nerve palsy. Several problems may also occur on the glenoid side, including bone defects of the glenoid, baseplate loosening, and displacement of the sphere.

Age-related decrease of cholinergic parasympathetic reflex vasodilation in the rat masseter muscle.

Skeletal muscle hemodynamics, including that in jaw muscles, is an important in their functions and is modulated by aging. Marked blood flow increases mediated by parasympathetic vasodilation may be important for blood flow in the masseter muscle (MBF); however, the relationship between parasympathetic vasodilation and aging is unclear. We examined the effect of aging on parasympathetic vasodilation evoked by trigeminal afferent inputs and their mechanisms by investigating the MBF during stimulation of the lingual nerve (LN) in young and old urethane-anesthetized and vago-sympathectomized rats.

The apex angle of the rocker sole affects the posture and gait stability of healthy individuals.

Background: Rocker sole (RS) shoes have been linked to impaired postural control. However, which features of RS design affect balance is unclear.

Research Question: Which RS design features affect standing balance and gait stability?

Methods: This study utilized an intervention and cross-over design.

The Effects of Vibratory Frequency and Temporal Interval on Tactile Apparent Motion.

Vibrotactile stimuli can be used to generate the haptic sensation of a static object or the motion of a dynamic object. Here, in this article, we investigated the effects of vibratory frequency and temporal interval on tactile apparent motion. In the experiment, we examined the effect of vibratory frequency with different temporal intervals on tactile apparent motion that results from two successive tactile stimuli on the index fingerpad.

Characteristics of Lower Limb Muscle Activity in Elderly Persons After Ergometric Exercise.

This study examined the characteristics of lower limb muscle activity in elderly persons after ergometric pedaling exercise for 1 month. To determine the effect of the exercise, surface electromyography (SEMG) of lower limb muscles was subjected to Daubechies-4 wavelet transformation, and mean wavelet coefficients were compared with the pre-exercise coefficients and the post-exercise coefficients in each wavelet level. The characteristics of muscle activity after pedaling exercise were also compared between the elderly subjects and young subjects.

Double-network gels as polyelectrolyte gels with salt-insensitive swelling properties.

Polyelectrolyte gels exhibit intrinsic salt-sensitive swelling behaviour, which causes size instability in ionic environments. Thus, polyelectrolyte gels that show salt-insensitive swelling have been anticipated for applications in ionic environments, such as medical materials used in vivo. We found that double-network (DN) gels consisting of both a polyelectrolyte network and a non-ionic network are resistant to salt-sensitive swelling.

Effect of the parasympathetic vasodilation on temperature regulation via trigeminal afferents in the orofacial area.

The skin temperature (T) of the orofacial area influences orofacial functions and is related to the blood flow (BF). Marked increases in BF mediated by parasympathetic vasodilation may be important for orofacial T regulation. Therefore, we examined the relationship between parasympathetic reflex vasodilation and orofacial T in anesthetized rats.

Relationship between impaired parasympathetic vasodilation and hyposalivation in parotid glands associated with type 2 diabetes mellitus.

We examined the relationship between hemodynamics in the three major salivary glands and salivary secretion in urethane-anesthetized and sympathectomized type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic rats via laser speckle imaging and by collecting the saliva. Lingual nerve stimulation elicited rapid increases in glandular blood flow and induced salivary secretion from the three glands in both diabetic and nondiabetic rats. In the parotid gland, the magnitude of blood flow increase and salivary secretion was significantly lower in the diabetic rats when compared with the nondiabetic rats; however, this was not observed in the other glands.

Prediction models considering psychological factors to identify pain relief in conservative treatment of people with knee osteoarthritis: A multicenter, prospective cohort study.

Background: Pain-related affective and/or cognitive characteristics such as depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, and self-efficacy are known to exacerbate pain in people with knee osteoarthritis. However, no studies have investigated whether these psychological factors can interfere with pain relief during conservative treatment. The object of this study was to assess the prediction models considering psychological factors to predict pain relief in people with knee osteoarthritis receiving conservative treatment.

Liver heterotopia associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia: Two case reports and a review of the literature.

Rationale: Liver heterotopia associated with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a rare condition; to the best of our knowledge, only 17 cases have been reported to date. The histogenesis and clinicopathological features are largely unknown. We herein report 2 cases of liver heterotopia associated with CDH along with 17 cases described in the literature to shed light on their clinicopathological characteristics.

Prognostic significance of the degree of lymphatic vessel invasion in locally advanced, surgically resectable pancreatic head cancer: A single center experience.

Little is known concerning the prognostic significance of the degree of lymphatic vessel invasion in pancreatic head cancer. To address this gap in knowledge, we retrospectively examined 60 patients with locally advanced, surgically resectable pancreatic head cancer who underwent pancreaticoduodenectomy and lymph node (LN) dissection.All cases were histopathologically diagnosed as ductal adenocarcinoma, stage II (25 pT3N0 cases, 35 pT3N1 cases).

Mechanical simulation study of postoperative displacement of trochanteric fractures using the finite element method.

Background: Femoral trochanteric fractures are common among older adults. In the reduction of trochanteric fractures, acquiring the support of the anterior cortex at the fracture site on lateral view immediately after surgery is important. However, even if the cortical support is acquired, postoperative displacement due to the loss of this support often occurs.

Clinicopathological and prognostic significance of MUC13 and AGR2 expression in intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasms of the pancreas.

Background: Intraductal papillary mucinous neoplasm (IPMN) of the pancreas is a primary pancreatic ductal epithelial neoplasm with the potential to develop into an invasive adenocarcinoma. This study aimed to investigate the clinicopathologic and prognostic significance of four potential biomarkers for the preoperative evaluation of patients with IPMN.

Materials And Methods: Clinicopathologic materials from 104 patients with IPMN who underwent surgical resection at Jichi Medical University Hospital were analyzed.

Tough and Variable-Band-Gap Photonic Hydrogel Displaying Programmable Angle-Dependent Colors.

One-dimensional photonic crystals or multilayer films produce colors that change depending on viewing and light illumination angles because of the periodic refractive index variation in alternating layers that satisfy Bragg's law. Recently, we have developed multilayered photonic hydrogels of two distinct bulk geometries that possess an alternating structure of a rigid polymeric lamellar bilayer and a ductile polyacrylamide (PAAm) matrix. In this paper, we focus on fabrication of composite gels with variable photonic band gaps by controlling the PAAm layer thickness.

The nicotinic acetylcholine receptor α7 subunit is an essential negative regulator of bone mass.

The nicotinic receptor α7nAchR reportedly regulates vagal nerve targets in brain and cardiac tissue. Here we show that nAchR7 mice exhibit increased bone mass due to decreased osteoclast formation, accompanied by elevated osteoprotegerin/RANKL ratios in serum. Vagotomy in wild-type mice also significantly increased the serum osteoprotegerin/RANKL ratio, and elevated bone mass seen in nAchR7 mice was reversed in α7nAchR/osteoprotegerin-doubly-deficient mice.

Cigarette Smoking Is Associated With Cubital Tunnel Syndrome.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to validate the potential association between cigarette smoking and cubital tunnel syndrome (CubTS).

Methods: One hundred patients with CubTS were compared with 100 controls with ulnar abutment syndrome matched for age, gender, and body mass index. The smoking status was compared between patients and controls using the sign test and the Wilcoxon signed rank test.

[Family pharmacy participation in homecare medicine].

Creation of social structures for super-aged society is urgent task, because of the advent of a rapidly aging society. In the past, responsibility of pharmacies was only to dispense prescriptions for outpatient in local medical care. However, it is now essential that they participate in home medical care, and they are continuing to search for ways to support elderly people who live alone, people with dementia, and end-of-life care.