Predictive maintenance and safety operation by device integration on the QUEST large experimental device.

As technology has improved in recent years, it has become possible to create new valuable functions by combining various devices and sensors in a network. This concept is referred to as the Internet of Things (IoT), and predictive maintenance is a new valuable function associated with the IoT. In large-scale experimental facilities with many researchers, it is not desirable that experiments cannot be performed due to sudden failure of equipment.

Direct measurement of energetic electron flow in Q-shu University experiment with steady-state spherical tokamak.

In magnetized plasmas, the presence of a significant number of energetic electrons has been observed but quantitative characteristics of these electrons are proving difficult to investigate. A Langmuir probe offers a means to provide quantitative measurement of these energetic electrons that takes into account electron emissions (secondary electron emission and electron reflection) from the probe tips and sheath expansion around the probe tips caused by a considerable negative potential. In this paper, these effects are experimentally confirmed and an analytical means to measure energetic electron characteristics are proposed.

Effects of KNK437 on heat-induced methylation of histone H3 in human oral squamous cell carcinoma cells.

Purpose: Methylation of H3 at lysine 4 (H3 Lys4) may be correlated with active gene trascription, whereas methylation of H3 at lysine 9 (H3 Lys9) may be linked to gene repression in murine cells and Schizosaccharomyces pombe.

Methods: Using Western blot analysis, heat-induced changes were studied in two human oral cancer cell lines, HSC4 (thermoresistant cells) and KB (thermosensitive cells). Histone H3 changes were studied; in particular for H3-Lys4 and H3-Lys9 methylation combined with KNK437.

Composition of MRI phantom equivalent to human tissues.

We previously developed two new MRI phantoms (called the CAG phantom and the CAGN phantom), with T1 and T2 relaxation times equivalent to those of any human tissue at 1.5 T. The conductivity of the CAGN phantom is equivalent to that of most types of human tissue in the frequency range of 1 to 130 MHz.

Development of a new hybrid gel phantom using carrageenan and gellan gum for visualizing three-dimensional temperature distribution during hyperthermia and radiofrequency ablation.

We developed a new hybrid gel phantom using carrageenan and gellan gum for the purpose of visualizing three-dimensional temperature distribution. The phantom, which contains carrageenan, gellan gum, non-ionic surface active agent, potassium chloride, n-butanol, sodium azide, and water, shows good transparency at room temperature, and has the advantage that the heated region becomes white and opaque due to segregation of the surface active agent. Carrageenan and gellan gum were added to improve the transparency and fragility of the hybrid gel.

Hydrogen peroxide overload increases adriamycin-induced apoptosis of SaOS(2)FM, a manganese superoxide dismutase-overexpressing human osteosarcoma cell line.

We previously developed a new microscopic observation system that enables time-lapse quantitative analysis of apoptosis and necrosis. With this system we quantitatively analyzed adriamycin (ADR)-induced cell death using manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD)- and wild-type p53-gene transfectants on SaOS(2), a p53-deficient human osteosarcoma cell line. A highly MnSOD-overexpressing cell line, SaOS(2)FM(H), acquired ADR-tolerance compared to the parent cell line SaOS(2).

Effects of histone deacetylase inhibitor FR901228 on the expression level of telomerase reverse transcriptase in oral cancer.

We speculated whether or not the expression level of telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT) would be modulated by agents targeting epigenetics in oral cancer cell lines. Although hTERT is known to be targeted by epigenetic changes, it remains unclear how chemoagents targeting epigenetics work on hTERT transcription. In the present study, the epigenetic effects of the histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor FR901228 on hTERT transcription in oral cancer cell lines were analyzed by RT-PCR.

Manganese superoxide dismutase overexpression changes plating efficiency bidirectionally according to change in redox for SaOS2 human osteosarcoma cell line.

Manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) is a mitochondrial enzyme that converts cytotoxic superoxide radicals into hydrogen peroxide. MnSOD activity is lower in tumor cells, and MnSOD overexpression reportedly ameliorates malignant phenotypes. We established stable MnSOD overexpressing cell lines from a human osteosarcoma cell line, SaOS2, and then investigated the effects of MnSOD overexpression on plating efficiency (PE) and the involvement of reactive oxygen species, including nitric oxide (NO) in those effects.

Influence of CpG island methylation status in O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase expression of oral cancer cell lines.

It is known that the O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) gene is susceptible to epigenetic regulation associated with an altered frequency of CpG methylation. To investigate whether epigenetic regulation of the MGMT gene might lead to significant reductions in the expression levels of cancer cells, we sought evidence of a link between the methylation status of the MGMT promoter and the expression levels of seven human oral cancer cell lines. We found two frequently methylated regions: the 5' region extending from nt 690 to nt 893 in the promoter, and the more 3' region extending from nt 1060 to nt 1151 in the untranslated first exon.

Effects of demethylating agent 5-aza-2(')-deoxycytidine and histone deacetylase inhibitor FR901228 on maspin gene expression in oral cancer cell lines.

Maspin, which belongs to the serine protease inhibitor (serpin) superfamily, has been proposed as a potent tumor suppressor that inhibits cell motility, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis. In the present study, we examined the effects of 5-aza-2(')-deoxycytidine (5-aza-dC), a demethylating agent, and FR901228, a histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitor, on maspin expression in oral cancer cell lines. The expression levels of maspin mRNA were divided into two groups, which was the maspin low-expressed and high-expressed cell lines in the 12 oral cancer cell lines.

Cepharanthine enhances in vitro and in vivo thermosensitivity of a mouse fibrosarcoma, FSa-II, based on increased apoptosis.

Cepharanthine (Ce) is a biscoclaurine alkaloid extracted from Stephania cepharantha Hayata. In our previous study, Ce significantly enhanced thermosensitivity and thereby reduced thermotolerance in vitro, and intra-peritoneal injection of Ce slightly enhanced thermosensitivity in vivo. In the present study, we investigated Ce's effect in vitro on the pattern of cell death after heating and the effect of intra-tumoral injection of Ce on in vivo thermosensitivity using a mouse fibrosarcoma, FSa-II, and C3H/He mice.

pEYFP-Nuc vector is a useful tool for three-dimensional and time-lapse observation of nuclear morphology of Jurkat cells during apoptosis.

Using a pEYFP-Nuc vector, which contains nucleic acid sequences of a nuclear localization signal, we established a Jurkat-YN cell line that expressed enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) in the nucleus. We observed three-dimensional and time-lapse changes in nuclear morphology of Jurkat-YN cells during Fas-induced apoptosis using a confocal laser scanning microscope. The nuclear forms visualized by EYFP were almost equal in quality to those visualized by SYTO59, a nucleic acid stain for living cells.

Development of a tissue-equivalent MRI phantom using carrageenan gel.

A new tissue-equivalent MRI phantom based on carrageenan gel was developed. Carrageenan gel is an ideal solidifying agent for making large, strong phantoms in a wide variety of shapes. GdCl(3) was added as a T(1) modifier and agarose as a T(2) modifier.

Effects of p53 gene therapy in radiotherapy or thermotherapy of human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.

We report herein the effects of p53 gene therapy in the radiotherapy or thermotherapy of eight human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) cell lines. The discrepancy between radiosensitivity combined with p53 gene therapy than that without p53 gene therapy increased among the eight SCC cell lines. The discrepancy increased in the thermosensitivity at 43 degrees C and decreased in that at 44 degrees C among the eight SCC cell lines.

Thermoradiotherapy combined with p53 gene therapy of human salivary gland adenocarcinoma cell line.

We report on thermoradiotherapy combined with p53 gene therapy in the human salivary gland adenocarcinoma cell line HSG. HSG cells were successfully infected at a rate of 62.3% with MOIs of 20 of either AxCAip53 or AxCAiLacZ.

Adenoviral p53 gene therapy in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.

We reconstructed the recombinant p53-expressing adenovirus and examined its infections and effects in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines. Eight human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines were infected by the recombinant adenovirus harboring the lacZ gene (AxCAiLacZ) or the wild-type p53 gene (AxCAip53), and the effects were investigated. The eight cell lines were successfully infected by AxCAiLacZ at a level of more than 50%.

Thermoradiotherapy in human head and neck squamous cell carcinoma cell lines.

Thermoradiosensitivity of 8 cell lines of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HO-1-u-1, HSC2, HSC3, HSC4, SAS, KB, Hep2, and Ca9-22) was investigated. The differences of radiosensitivity between the cell line with the highest radiosensitivity and the cell line with the lowest radiosensitivity were 1.7-, 7.

Late course accelerated hyperfractionation radiotherapy concomitant with cisplatin in patients with esophageal carcinoma.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether combined cisplatin and late course accelerated fractionation radiotherapy (LCAH) (the combined group) can confer a better outcome over LCAH alone in treating esophageal carcinoma. Eighty-one eligible patients were randomly entered into two groups: the LCAH alone group, and the combined group. There was a better outcome in the combined group compared to the LCAH group, but the difference was not significant.

Thermochemotherapy of a human salivary adenocarcinoma cell line.

We report on thermochemotherapy in a human salivary gland adenocarcinoma cell line. Hyperthermia reduced the survival rate to 50 and 20% by heating at 43 degrees C for 40 and 60 min, respectively, and is by itself useful in human salivary gland carcinoma treatment. Adriamycin, cisplatin, and mitomycin C can possible be used clinically, while bleomycin and 5-fluorouracil cannot, to treat this carcinoma.

Effect of wortmannin on the suppression of thermotolerance in tsAF8 cells.

Phosphatidylinositol 3 kinases (PI-3 kinases) play a crucial role in the inositol phospholipid signaling pathway. The effect of wortmannin, an inhibitor of PI-3 kinases, on the suppression of thermotolerance development was investigated in the temperature-sensitive cell line tsAF8. When wortmannin was added immediately after the preheating, the thermotolerance was suppressed, with this suppression being dose-dependent from 0.