Melting behavior of syndiotacticity-rich poly(vinyl alcohol)-water gel

The melting temperatures of a syndiotacticity-rich poly(vinyl alcohol)-water gel were measured for concentrations below 70g.dm^-3. In the gel chilled at a temperature below about 15°C the melting point first decreased monotonously then sharply in a jump and again monotonously with decreasing concentration, whereas in the gel chilled above 20°C the melting point decreased monotonously through-out. The change of the shear modulus of a gel chilled at 0°C with the rise of temperature from 0°C to the melting point was also measured. Initially the shear modulus decreased, then increased to a maximum value, and at last decreased towards the melting temperature, whereas a gel chilled at 40°C kept an almost constant value during heating from 40°C up to a high temperature and then decreased with further rise of temperature. The turbidity of dilute solutions chilled at 0°C passed a minimum and maximum with the rise of temperature in accord with the minimum and maximum of the shear modulus. It is thus concluded that in the gel chilled at temperatures below 15°C the junctions grow to some extent with the rise of temperature.     

Personality of seasonal affective disorder analyzed by Tri-dimensional Personality Questionnaire

BACKGROUND: Although there have been numerous reports in personality of mood disorders, there have been few reports in regard with personality of winter seasonal affective disorder (SAD). Furthermore, no reports have been published concerning summer SAD personality characteristics. Thus, this study was conducted to assess the personality of winter and summer SAD using Tri-dimensional Personality Questionnaire (TPQ) that have been used in a variety of mental disorders. METHODS: A total of 6135 Japanese were evaluated with TPQ, the Seasonal Pattern Assessment Questionnaire (SPAQ) and the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). Winter, summer and non-SAD groups were classified by SPAQ. We compared the difference of personality trait among these three groups in consideration of gender, age and SDS score influence. RESULTS: Winter SAD demonstrated higher "Novelty Seeking" and "Harm Avoidance"; summer SAD showed higher "Harm Avoidance" than the non-SAD group. "Harm Avoidance" in both SAD groups was re-analyzed using SDS score as a covariate, and "Novelty Seeking" in winter SAD using age as a covariate. As a result, the significance of high "Novelty Seeking" and high "Harm Avoidance" in winter SAD was excluded. However, "Harm Avoidance" remained the significant difference between summer and non-SAD. LIMITATION: SAD was diagnosed only by SPAQ and not by interview. The state-dependency of "Harm Avoidance" was not confirmed in identical patients over lapse of time. CONCLUSION: Patients with winter SAD have high "Harm Avoidance" dependent on the depressive state that is in accordance with non-seasonal depression. Patients with summer SAD have high "Harm Avoidance" possibly independent from the depressive state.     

Can random bladder biopsies be eliminated after bacillus Calmette–Guérin therapy against carcinoma in situ?

Purpose

Intravesical bacillus Calmette–Guérin (BCG) is the standard of care for bladder carcinoma in situ (CIS). The response to BCG therapy against CIS is generally assessed by random bladder biopsy (RBB). In this study, we examined the necessity of routine RBB after BCG therapy.

Methods

We retrospectively identified 102 patients who were initially diagnosed with CIS with or without papillary tumor and received subsequent 6–8-week BCG therapy. Thereafter, all patients underwent voiding cytology analysis, cystoscopy, and RBB to evaluate the effects of BCG therapy. We evaluated the association between clinical parameters (voiding cytology and cystoscopy findings) and the final pathological results by RBB specimens.

Results

According to the pathological results of RBB, 30 (29%) patients had BCG-unresponsive disease (remaining urothelial carcinoma was confirmed pathologically) and 20 were diagnosed with CIS. Positive/suspicious voiding cytology and positive cystoscopy findings were well observed in patients who had BCG-unresponsive disease compared with their counterparts (p?=?0.116, and p?<?0.001, respectively). The sensitivity (Sen.), specificity (Spe.), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of voiding cytology were 50%, 68%, 39%, and 77%, respectively. The values for cystoscopy findings were as follows: Sen.: 87%, Spe.: 57%, PPV: 46%, and NPV: 91%. The values for their combination (having either of them) were as follows: Sen.: 100%, Spe.: 44%, PPV: 43%, and NPV: 100%.

Conclusion

RBB after BCG therapy for patients with negative voiding cytology and negative cystoscopy may be omitted because their risk of BCG-unresponsive disease is significantly low (NPV: 100%).

     

Periodic isorhythmic dissociation during enflurane anesthesia in a patient with Sinus Bradycardia

Key words  dysrhythmia - isorhythmic dissociation - oscillation     

Study on the developing potentiality of mouse morula produced in vitro or in vivo after vitrification

Great horovement haS been made in the cryopreservation Of inalnlnalian elnbmp since wnttingham['] reported his Pioneering wold about successful cryOPreservationof mouse embryo. It results in the availability of cryOPreserVation of embryos of all stages[']. HOwever, cryopreserved embryos can not avoid the damages by ice crystal,which is a major cause of cen death in the freezing andthawing ProceduresL',']. SO it is necesseq to seareh for anew and more efficient method for embryO cryOPrese…     

Inhibition of Ca2+ channel current by μ- and κ-opioid receptors coexpressed in Xenopus oocytes: desensitization dependence on Ca2+ channel α1 subunits

1. Desensitization of μ- and κ-opioid receptor-mediated inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca²⁺ channels was studied in a Xenopus oocyte translation system.
2. In the oocytes coexpressing κ-opioid receptors with N- or Q-type Ca²⁺ channel α₁ and β subunits, the κ-agonist, U50488H, inhibited both neuronal Ca²⁺ channel current responses in a pertussis toxin-sensitive manner and the inhibition was reduced by prolonged agonist exposure.
3. More than 10 min was required to halve the inhibition of Q-type channels by the κ-agonist. However, the half-life for the inhibition of N-type channels was only 6±1 min. In addition, in the oocytes coexpressing μ-opioid receptors with N-type or Q-type channels, the uncoupling rate of the μ-receptor-mediated inhibition of N-channels was also faster than that of Q-type channels.
4. In the oocytes coexpressing both μ- and κ-receptors with N-type channels, stimulation of either receptor resulted in a cross-desensitization of the subsequent response to the other agonist. Treatment of oocytes with either H-8 (100 μM), staurosporine (400 nM), okadaic acid (200 nM), phorbol myristate acetate (5 nM) or forskolin (50 μM) plus phosphodiesterase inhibitor did not affect either the desensitization or the agonist-evoked inhibition of Ca²⁺ channels.
5. These results suggest that the rate of rapid desensitization is dependent on the α₁ subtype of the neuronal Ca²⁺ channel, and that a common phosphorylation-independent mechanism underlies the heterologous desensitization between opioid receptor subtypes.

     

Marked Suppression of T Cells by a Benzothiophene Derivative in Patients with Human T-Lymphotropic Virus Type I-Associated Myelopathy/Tropical Spastic Paraparesis

In a search for new anti-autoimmune agents that selectively suppress activation of autoreactive T cells, one such agent, 5-methyl-3-(1-methylethoxy)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carboxamide (CI-959-A), was found to be effective. This compound, which is known to suppress tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α)-induced CD54 expression, inhibited the primary proliferative response of the T cell to antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) including allogenic dendritic cells (DCs), autologous Epstein-Barr virus-infected B cells, and human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-infected T cells. Autoreactive T cells from patients with HTLV-I-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) spontaneously proliferate in vitro, and their activation is reported to be associated with CD54 expression. The spontaneous proliferation of T cells from patients with HAM/TSP was entirely blocked by CI-959-A. However, in this study, the T-cell proliferation in 15 patients with HAM/TSP was found to depend more extensively on major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II and CD86 than on CD54 Ags. Since most important APCs for the development of HAM/TSP are DCs and HTLV-I-infected T cells, the effect of CI-959-A on DC generation and on the expression of surface molecules on activated T cells is examined. CI-959-A suppressed recombinant granulocyte-macrophage colony stimulating factor (GM-CSF)- and recombinant interleukin-4-dependent differentiation of DCs from monocytes and inhibited the expression of CD54 and, more extensively, MHC class II and CD86 Ags. CI-959-A showed little toxicity toward lymphoma or HTLV-I-infected T-cell lines or toward monocytes and cultured DCs. These results suggest that CI-959-A might be a potent anti-HAM/TSP agent.Human T lymphotropic virus type I (HTLV-I)-associated myelopathy/tropical spastic paraparesis (HAM/TSP) is thought to be an autoimmune disease induced by HTLV-I infection (8, 9, 24). The T lymphocytes obtained from patients with HAM/TSP patients produce interleukin-2 (IL-2) in vivo and proliferate spontaneously in vitro without any additional stimuli or cytokines (35). This spontaneous proliferation of T lymphocytes (SPL) depends on the interaction of T cells with antigen (Ag)-presenting cells (APCs) such as dendritic cells (DCs) (17, 25) and HTLV-I-infected CD4⁺ T cells (15, 32). The DCs localized in the blood and nonlymphoid organs are considered to be functionally immature, in that they are optimized for the uptake and processing of Ag but not for the initiation of primary T-cell responses. However, after the uptake of Ag and exposure to inflammatory agents including tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) and IL-1, the DCs undergo a process of maturation and gain the ability to present Ag to T cells for their priming (22, 26). In addition to DCs, HTLV-I-infected CD4⁺ T cells directly stimulate autologous CD4⁺ T cells in a major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class II- and CD86 molecule-dependent fashion (32). Among the T cells stimulated with these APCs, some might cross-react with self Ags and closely associate with the development of HAM/TSP.We have been searching for compounds that inhibit the cellular interaction between APCs and T cells to suppress the activation of autoreactive and Ag-specific T cells. The molecules associated with the APC-T cell interaction may provide an effective target for therapy for autoimmune diseases. Binding of APCs and T cells is initiated by contact of adhesion molecules, such as CD54 and CD11a/CD18, expressed on both cells, and induction of sustained proliferation of T cells requires two independent signals provided by APCs: a T-cell receptor-mediated Ag-specific signal and a signal mediated by costimulatory molecules (CSMs) (10, 20) including CD86 and CD58 Ags (1, 11, 31). Blocking of their tight binding through adhesion molecules or interaction of the CSMs with CSM ligands effectively suppressed the abnormal expansion of disease-associated T cells in vivo and in vitro (19, 30, 32) and sometimes effectively induced a long-term unresponsiveness of T cells to recall stimuli.5-Methyl-3-(1-methylethoxy)benzo[b]thiophene-2-carbox-amide (CI-959-A) is known to inhibit CD54 expression, and its derivative is reported to inhibit casein kinase II (4). In the present study, we found that CI-959-A markedly suppressed SPL in patients with HAM/TSP. Furthermore, the compound suppressed the primary T-cell proliferative response to stimuli provided by various APCs, the differentiation of immature DCs from monocytes and their subsequent maturation, and the induction of expression of MHC class II, CD54, and CD86 Ags on activated CD4⁺ T cells.