Fully planar solar-pumped fiber laser with 0.1% slope efficiency.

A slope efficiency of 0.1% has been achieved for a fully planar solar-pumped fiber laser (SPFL) with a diameter of 30 cm and an output power of 34 mW. The fiber length is constrained to 400 m, but numerical simulations indicate that the maximum laser output power can be elevated to 113 mW by simply extending the length of the fiber and housing it in the same body.

Takotsubo cardiomyopathy in Guillain-Barré syndrome.

Background And Purpose: Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) is a serious autonomic complication of Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS). However, the association between TCM and GBS has not been investigated in detail. We investigated the characteristics of GBS patients with TCM (GBS-TCM).

Changes in estimated glomerular filtration rate before and after the first visit for atrial fibrillation.

Background: Although the development of atrial fibrillation (AF) and the progression of chronic kidney disease are known to be interrelated, it remains unclear when and how renal function changes during the clinical course of AF.

Methods: This study retrospectively enrolled 131 patients who were able to collect data on estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at least five times during the 500 days before and 500 days after the first visit (baseline) of new-onset AF, respectively. To investigate the temporal relationship between the development of AF and the beginning of worsening renal function (WRF), a piecewise regression model was applied to the eGFR time series data.

Polymeric iron chelators for enhancing 5-aminolevulinic acid-induced photodynamic therapy.

5-Aminolevulinic acid (5-ALA) is an amino acid that can be metabolized into a photosensitizer, protoporphyrin IX (PpIX) selectively in a tumor cell, permitting minimally invasive photodynamic diagnosis/therapy. However, some malignant tumor cells have excess intracellular labile iron and facilitate the conversion of PpIX into heme, which compromises the therapeutic potency of 5-ALA. Here, we examined the potential of chelation of such unfavorable intratumoral labile iron in photodynamic therapy (PDT) with 5-ALA hydrochloride, using polymeric iron chelators that we recently developed.

A proposed interval for evaluation of renal function during anticoagulation therapy using direct oral anticoagulants in patients with atrial fibrillation.

Background: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been used to prevent cardiogenic embolism in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). No evidence has been established for the follow-up renal function evaluation intervals. We hypothesized that a proposed follow-up interval of renal function can be estimated by patient's baseline characteristics including creatinine clearance (CCr).

A novel method to demonstrate thrombus formation of the left atrial appendage in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation by cardiac computed tomography.

Background: Transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) is currently the gold standard technique for diagnosing left atrial appendage (LAA) thrombi. Cardiac computed tomography (CT) has been expected to become an alternative method to TEE; however, a reliable quantitative evaluation method has not been established.

Methods And Results: We enrolled 177 patients with persistent atrial fibrillation who underwent both cardiac CT and TEE before catheter ablation.

Impact of atrial fibrillation/flutter on outcomes of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators: A sub-analysis of the Nippon Storm study.

Background: Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator and cardiac resynchronization therapy using a defibrillator (ICD/CRT-D) are established means of reducing mortality due to ventricular arrhythmia. Although atrial fibrillation/flutter (AF) is the most common cardiac arrhythmia in patients with heart disease, the impact of AF on the prognosis of patients with ICD/CRT-D remains controversial.

Methods And Results: We analyzed data from the Nippon Storm Study, a prospective observational study of 1570 patients that was conducted at 48 Japanese ICD centers.

Effects of Microbial Metabolites of (-)-Epigallocatechin Gallate on Glucose Uptake in L6 Skeletal Muscle Cell and Glucose Tolerance in ICR Mice.

Glucose uptake ability into L6 skeletal muscle cell was examined with eleven kinds of ring fission metabolites of (-)-epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) produced by intestinal bacteria. The metabolites 5-(3,5-dihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone (EGC-M5), 4-hydroxy-5-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)valeric acid (EGC-M6), 5-(3,4,5-trihydroxyphenyl)-γ-valerolactone (EGC-M7) and 5-(3-hydroxyphenyl)valeric acid (EGC-M11) have been found to promote uptake of glucose into L6 myotubes significantly. EGC-M5, which is one of the major ring fission metabolites of EGCG, was also found to have a promotive effect on glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) translocation accompanied by phosphorylation of AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) signaling pathway in skeletal muscle both in vivo and in vitro.

Epigallocatechin gallate induces GLUT4 translocation in skeletal muscle through both PI3K- and AMPK-dependent pathways.

Our previous report demonstrated that epigallocatechin gallate (EGCg) promotes translocation of glucose transporter 4 (GLUT4) in skeletal muscle. In this study, we investigated the molecular mechanism of GLUT4 translocation by EGCg at the physiological concentration range. In L6 cells, EGCg induced phosphorylation of phosphatidylinositide 3'-kinase (PI3K) and downstream protein kinase C (PKC) λ/ξ without affecting the phosphorylation of insulin receptor and Akt.

Caffeine-Stimulated Intestinal Epithelial Cells Suppress Lipid Accumulation in Adipocytes.

Caffeine is a methylxanthine derived from plant foods such as coffee beans and tea leaves, and has multiple biological activities against physiological response and several diseases. Although there are some reports about the direct effect of caffeine against anti-lipid accumulation in vitro, the effect of caffeine on lipid accumulation in adipocytes through stimulating intestinal epithelial cells is unknown. Since direct treatment with caffeine to 3T3-L1 cells did not affect lipid accumulation, we determined whether caffeine-stimulated intestinal epithelial Caco-2 cells influence the lipid accumulation in 3T3-L1 adipocytes.

Dye-sensitized solar cells based on donor-π-acceptor fluorescent dyes with a pyridine ring as an electron-withdrawing-injecting anchoring group.

A new-type of donor-acceptor π-conjugated (D-π-A) fluorescent dyes NI3-NI8 with a pyridine ring as electron-withdrawing-injecting anchoring group have been developed and their photovoltaic performances in dye-sensitized solar cells (DSSCs) are investigated. The short-circuit photocurrent densities and solar energy-to-electricity conversion yields of DSSCs based on NI3-NI8 are greater than those for the conventional D-π-A dye sensitizers NI1 and NI2 with a carboxyl group as the electron-withdrawing anchoring group. The IR spectra of NI3-NI8 adsorbed on TiO(2) indicate the formation of coordinate bonds between the pyridine ring of dyes NI3-NI8 and the Lewis acid sites (exposed Ti(n+) cations) of the TiO(2) surface.

Fluorescence PET (photo-induced electron transfer) sensors for water based on anthracene-boronic acid ester.

Anthracene-boronic acid ester as a new class of fluorescence PET sensors for detection of a trace amount of water in organic solvents has been designed and developed.

Detection of water in organic solvents by photo-induced electron transfer method.

A new class of fluorescence sensor for detection of water in organic solvents based on photo-induced electron transfer (PET) of anthracene coupled with an amino acid has been designed and developed.