Impact of angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor on serum C-peptide levels in patients with type 2 diabetes.

Sacubitril/valsartan, an angiotensin receptor neprilysin inhibitor (ARNI), is becoming more common in the treatment of heart failure and hypertension. Neprilysin is highly expressed in the renal tubules, and reports have shown increases in urinary C-peptide reactivity (CPR) levels after administration of ARNI. However, the effect of ARNI on serum CPR levels, a critical marker of insulin secretion in diabetes, remains underexplored.

Plasmonic ultraviolet filter for fast-timing applications.

Barium fluoride, an inorganic scintillation material used for the detection of X-ray and/or gamma-ray radiation, has been receiving increasing attention in the field of radiation measurements in fast-timing applications. To make full use of its timing properties, its slow emission around the ultraviolet region, more specifically, the 300 nm region needs to be suppressed. Although doping ions, such as lanthanum, yttrium, and cadmium, can suppress the slow component, such techniques can lose information of interacted radiations.

Contact metalens for high-resolution optical microscope in semiconductor failure analysis.

The continuous downscaling of electronic devices requires higher-resolution optical microscopic images for semiconductor failure analysis (FA). However, a part of the diffracted light from the measuring pattern in the silicon (Si) substrate cannot be collected due to the total internal reflection (TIR) at the interface between the Si substrate and air. We propose a metalens suitable for FA that improves resolution of optical microscopic images by collecting beyond the critical angle of TIR at the interface.

Removal of surface-normal spot beam from on-chip 2D beam pattern projecting lasers.

Static arbitrary two-dimensional beam patterns have been demonstrated using on-chip size "integrable spatial-phase-modulating surface-emitting lasers," which use the band edge mode of a two-dimensional photonic crystal as an in-plane resonator, while the spatial phase of the lightwaves of the band edge mode are simultaneously modulated in a holographic manner by a local positional shift of holes from their lattice points. Meanwhile, the beam patterns include a spot beam in the surface-normal direction (0th-order beam), which corresponds to components of vertical diffraction of the band edge modes without spatial phase modulation. A promising method, used to remove the 0th-order beam, uses a structure that prohibits the vertical diffraction of band edge modes.

Principle of beam generation in on-chip 2D beam pattern projecting lasers.

Integrable spatial-phase-modulating surface-emitting lasers, which utilize the band edge mode of two-dimensional photonic-crystals as resonators, project static arbitrary two-dimensional beam patterns from on-chip size. In this device, holes shifting from the lattice point of a two-dimensional photonic crystal provide spatial phase modulation to light waves, which form standing waves in the resonator. Thus far, the origin of the beam patterns has not been studied, especially the formation of subsidiary beam patterns against the designed beam pattern.

C-terminal repetitive motifs in Vp130 present at the unique vertex of the Chlorovirus capsid are essential for binding to the host Chlorella cell wall.

Previously, Vp130, a chloroviral structural protein, was found to have host-cell-wall-binding activity for NC64A-viruses (PBCV-1 and CVK2). In this study, we have isolated and characterized the corresponding protein from chlorovirus CVGW1, one of Pbi-viruses that have a different host range. In NC64A-viruses, Vp130 consists of a highly conserved N-terminal domain, internal repeats of 70-73 aa motifs and a C-terminal domain occupied by 23-26 tandem repeats of a PAPK motif.

Huge endocrine tumor of the pancreas.

We report a case of a huge endocrine tumor of the pancreas. A 76-year-old woman was admitted for a left upper abdominal mass. She showed neither hormonal symptoms nor abnormal serum hormone levels.

Successful transcatheter arterial embolization of an inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery aneurysm associated with celiac axis stenosis.

A case of inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (IPDA) aneurysm associated with celiac axis stenosis was successfully treated using only transcatheter arterial embolization (TAE). A 57-year-old woman was urgently referred to our hospital with sudden abdominal pain; computed tomography revealed retroperitoneal hematoma due to bleeding from an aneurysm around the superior mesenteric artery (SMA). Selective angiography into the SMA showed an aneurysm derived from the IPDA posterior branch; the IPDA anterior branch was intact and contrast medium flowed into the common hepatic artery territory through the pancreatic arcade because of celiac axis stenosis.

Idiopathic unilateral adrenal hematoma: report of a case.

We report an unusual case of idiopathic unilateral adrenal hematoma, which was asymptomatic and unaccompanied by a hematologic disorder. The surgical specimen contained a large tumor comprised of subacute to chronic organized hematoma. The preoperative magnetic resonance imaging findings were compatible with characteristics reported previously, except for spotty strong enhancement in the peripheral part of the mass.

Improvement of intestinal motility using S-methylisothiourea in postoperative ileus.

Background: The inflammatory mediator nitric oxide (NO) plays an important role in postoperative gastrointestinal motility.

Methods: Using S-methylisothiourea sulfate (SMT), a selective inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, we studied the physiological role of the endogenous NO in the modulation of intestinal motility. The study was performed in vivo in a canine postoperative model.

Macrocystic serous cystadenoma of the pancreas: case report.

We report a case of macrocystic serous cystadenoma of the pancreas. The lesion consisted of a large main cyst and several small cysts, and each cyst showed high intensity on T1-weighted and very high intensity on T2-weighted magnetic resonance images. High-intensity cyst contents may be a characteristic, if not a specific, finding of macrocystic serous cystadenoma of the pancreas.

Portal vein reconstruction using an internal jugular vein as a graft: report of a case.

We report the case of a 41-year-old man with pancreatic carcinoma invading the portal vein who was successfully treated by portal vein resection combined with pancreatoduodenectomy and reconstruction using an autointernal jugular vein. The internal jugular vein is an ideal graft for portal vein replacement because it has sufficient length, a well-matched diameter, and there is no venous insufficiency after unilateral resection. Nevertheless, this is the first report of portal vein reconstruction using the internal jugular vein as a graft.

[Intracranial subdural hematoma following spinal anesthesia].

We report a case of intracranial subdural hematoma following spinal anesthesia in a 28-year-old woman. Subdural hematoma is a very rare, but life-threatening complication. When a patient complains of persistent post spinal headache, one should consider the possibility of subdural hematoma and carry out a careful examination, including MRI or CT scan.

Cellular fibronectin on intraocular lenses explanted from patients.

We investigated the origin of fibronectin (FN) on five posterior and four anterior chamber explanted intraocular lenses (IOLs) using immunohistochemical methods. Cellular deposits (assumed to be macrophages) and fibrous or membrane-like proteinaceous deposits on the IOLs showed immunoreactivity to an antibody against cellular FN. These proteinaceous deposits were believed to be products of the cells that adhered to the IOLs.

Transforming growth factor-beta inhibits phosphorylation of the retinoblastoma susceptibility gene product in human monocytic leukemia cell line JOSK-I.

Proliferation of the human monocytic leukemia cell line JOSK-I is inhibited by transforming growth factor-beta (TGF-beta). Growth inhibition by TGF-beta was not due to either a toxic effect or to induction of differentiation. TGF-beta induced a cell cycle arrest at late G1 phase and was not found to be inhibitory to JOSK-I cells in S phase or G2/M.

Relationship between the transference of a drug from a transdermal patch and the physicochemical properties.

The transferred percentages of 13 drugs to rat skin from transdermal patches were studied to reveal the relationship to their physicochemical properties. The drugs to be tested had melting points of 13.5-234 degrees C, lipophilic indices of 0.

Effects of olfactory stimulation with jasmin and its component chemicals on the duration of pentobarbital-induced sleep in mice.

The effect of olfactory stimulation with jasmin and its component chemicals on pentobarbital sleep time was investigated using mice. In the present study we sought to determine which component of jasmin influences pentobarbital sleep time via olfactory stimulation. Sleep time was defined as the time elapsed between intraperitoneal pentobarbital administration and the first time that the animal was able to spontaneously right itself.

Phagocytosis and fibronectin of cells observed on intraocular lenses.

The phagocytic activity and distribution of fibronectin in the cells adhering to implanted intraocular lenses (IOLs) were studied in rabbits. IOLs were explanted from the posterior chamber 7 days after implantation. Phagocytosis by the cells from the IOLs was studied by electron microscopy after incubation with polystyrene beads.

Effects of olfactory stimulation on the sleep time induced by pentobarbital administration in mice.

The effect on the pentobarbital sleep time by olfactory stimulation with various odorants was investigated using mice to appraise the physiological or psychological significance of olfactory information. The sleep time was determined as the time elapsed between intraperitoneal pentobarbital administration and the first time that the animal was able to spontaneously right itself. The sleep time was affected by inhalation of some odorants compared to pure air controls, but not by others.