Bose-Einstein Condensation of Europium.

We report the realization of a Bose-Einstein condensate of europium atoms, which is a strongly dipolar species with unique properties, a highly symmetric [Xe]4f^{7}6s^{2} ^{8}S_{7/2} electronic ground state and a hyperfine structure. By means of evaporative cooling in a crossed optical dipole trap, we produce a condensate of ^{151}Eu containing up to 5×10^{4} atoms. We estimate the scattering length of ^{151}Eu to be a_{s}=110(4)  a_{B} after comparing the velocities of expansion of condensates to different orientations of the atomic magnetic moments, where a_{B} is the Bohr radius.

The observation of nonlinear ion cyclotron wave excitation during high-harmonic fast wave heating in the large helical device.

A wave detector, a newly designed magnetic probe, is installed in the large helical device (LHD). This wave detector is a 100-turn loop coil with electrostatic shield. Comparing a one-loop coil to this detector, this detector has roughly constant power coupling in the lower frequency range of 40 MHz, and it can easily detect magnetic wave in the frequency of a few megahertz.

Malignant gastrointestinal stromal tumor originating in the lesser omentum, complicated by rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis and gastric carcinoma.

A 69-year-old man was admitted with a large elastic mass in the upper abdomen. Computed tomography revealed a massive tumor in contact with the liver and gastrointestinal endoscopy revealed a gastric adenocarcinoma. He developed acute renal failure with massive proteinuria and died with a marked enlargement of the tumor.

Immediate-Type allergy against human insulin associated with marked eosinophilia in type 2 diabetic patient.

We describe a type 2 diabetic patient who showed immediate-type allergy against human insulin associated with marked eosinophilia at initial insulin therapy. Three months after initiation of insulin therapy, he noticed itchy skin wheals at the site of the insulin injection. Laboratory data at that time showed marked eosinophilia (2,512 /mm3) and progression of renal dysfunction.

Depressor effect by exercise training is associated with amelioration of hyperinsulinemia and sympathetic overactivity.

Objective: In hypertensive subjects, exercise training is a therapeutic modality that not only lowers blood pressure but also corrects metabolic abnormality, such as hyperinsulinemia. Insulin causes sympatho-excitation via the modification of baroreflex, norepinephrine release, or central sympathetic outflow. However, the link between neural and metabolic changes by exercise training in hypertensive patients remains unknown.

Tumor necrosis factor-beta gene NcoI polymorphism decreases insulin resistance in Japanese men.

Given that the NcoI polymorphism of the tumor necrosis factor-beta (TNF-beta) gene has been shown to be associated with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) secretory capacity, we know that this TNF-beta gene polymorphism may influence insulin resistance. In Caucasians, 2 polymorphisms of the TNF-alpha promoter region (positions -308 and -238) have been reported to be associated with insulin resistance. Thus, we investigated how genetic variation in the TNF-beta and TNF-alpha genes was associated with insulin resistance in 211 Japanese men.

Ion heating and high-energy-particle production by ion-cyclotron heating in the large helical device.

Ion-cyclotron heating was applied to the Large Helical Device. When the proton-cyclotron resonance was near the saddle point of the magnetic field-strength plane, strong ion-cyclotron damping occurred. Under these conditions efficient plasma heating was achieved for more than one minute.

Gln27Glu and Arg16Gly polymorphisms of the beta2-adrenergic receptor gene are not associated with obesity in Japanese men.

The beta2-adrenergic receptor (beta2AR), beta3AR, or uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) may play a pathogenic role in obesity. In Swedish Caucasians, a polymorphism at codon 27 (Gln27Glu) of the beta2AR gene was shown to be associated with obesity, but no such association was shown for a polymorphism of codon 16 (Arg16Gly). Thus, we investigated whether these polymorphisms contribute to obesity in 210 Japanese men.

Variation of the fatty acid binding protein 2 gene is not associated with obesity and insulin resistance in Japanese subjects.

An alanine to threonine substitution at codon 54 of the fatty acid binding protein 2 (FABP2) gene has been associated with insulin resistance in Pima Indians and with obesity in aboriginal Canadians. We investigated whether this polymorphism contributes to obesity and insulin resistance in 258 Japanese subjects. Thirty-six subjects (13.

Phenotypic characterization of the beta3-adrenergic receptor mutation and the uncoupling protein 1 polymorphism in Japanese men.

The Trp64Arg mutation of the beta3-adrenergic receptor (beta3AR) gene and A to G polymorphism of the uncoupling protein 1 (UCP1) gene are reported to be associated with weight gain, and both have been shown to have an additive effect on weight gain in Caucasians. Racial differences have also been noted in the beta3AR mutation; however, the effect of UCP1 polymorphism on body weight is not obvious in the Japanese. Thus, we investigated the association of genetic variations in beta3AR and UCP1 genes and the additive effects of these two genes in 214 Japanese men.

[Bronchial asthma due to Stronger Neo-Minophagen C].

A 24-year-old woman who visited our hospital because of urticaria had a bronchial asthma attack about 5 min. after receiving Stronger Neo-Minophagen C (SNMC) intravenously. A skin test for SNMC and its components (glycyrrhizin, L-cystein, aminoacetic acid, and sodium sulfite) was positive for SNMC and borderline for sodium sulfite after 15 min.

Renal depressor mechanisms of physical training in patients with essential hypertension.

To clarify characteristics of the patients in whom exercise training lowers blood pressure and to elucidate the mechanisms by which exercise training lowers blood pressure, we evaluated 24-h blood pressure, glomerular filtration rate (GFR), renal blood flow (RBF), filtration fraction (FF), plasma renin activity (PRA), plasma aldosterone concentration (PAC), plasma norepinephrine concentration (PNE), and incremental area of insulin/glucose (sigmaI/sigmaG) during 75 g oral glucose tolerance test, and assessed arterial baroreceptor function (BSI) before and after a 3-week exercise training program (four 6-min sessions daily at 75% VO2 max). Patients were classified as responders (n = 15) if they showed statistically significant reduction in the multiple comparison of 24-h mean arterial pressure (MAP), or as nonresponders (n = 15) if they did not. Although there were no significant differences between responders and nonresponders in age, weight, MAP, GFR, RBF, RPF, FF, PNE, sigmaI/sigmaG, or BSI before exercise, renal vascular resistance (RVR; P < .

Rapid induction of more malignant tumors by various genotoxic carcinogens in transgenic mice harboring a human prototype c-Ha-ras gene than in control non-transgenic mice.

In this study, we investigated the carcinogenic response of transgenic mice carrying the human prototype c-Ha-ras gene, namely Tg rasH2/CB6F1 mice, to various genotoxic carcinogens and compared it with that of control non-transgenic CB6F1 mice (non-Tg mice). The present studies were conducted as the first step in the evaluation of the Tg rasH2/CB6F1 mouse as a model for the rapid carcinogenicity testing system. Short-term (< or = 6 months) rapid carcinogenicity tests of various genotoxic carcinogens, 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide, cyclophosphamide, N,N-diethylnitrosamine, N-methyl-N-nitrosourea, N-methyl-N'-nitro-N-nitrosoguanidine and methylazoxymethanol, revealed that Tg rasH2/CB6F1 mice are more susceptible to these genotoxic carcinogens than control non-Tg mice.

Recurrent exercise-induced acute renal failure in renal hypouricemia.

We describe a male patient with four episodes of acute renal failure after strenuous exercise occurring between the age of 14 and 25 years. He was found to have low serum uric acid (0.4 mg dl-1 after recovery) and high fractional excretion of uric acid.

Hyperinsulinaemia as a predictor of hypertension: an 11-year follow-up study in Japan.

Objective: To examine the hypothesis that hyperinsulinaemia is associated with the development of borderline hypertension or hypertension.

Design: Blood pressure status in non-obese normotensives (< 140/90 mmHg, n = 135) people were re-examined after 11 years after the baseline examination. Participants were selected from a 1981 population-based health examination and had a high blood glucose level or more than a trace of glucose in their urine.