Narrow-line Cooling and Determination of the Magic Wavelength of Cd.

We experimentally and theoretically determine the magic wavelength of the (5s^{2})^{1}S_{0}-(5s5p)^{3}P_{0} clock transition of ^{111}Cd to be 419.88(14) and 420.1(7) nm. To perform Lamb-Dicke spectroscopy of the clock transition, we use narrow-line laser cooling on the ^{1}S_{0}-^{3}P_{1} transition to cool the atoms to 6 µK and load them into an optical lattice. Cadmium is an attractive candidate for optical lattice clocks because it has a small sensitivity to blackbody radiation and its efficient narrow-line cooling mitigates higher order light shifts. We calculate the blackbody shift, including the dynamic correction, to be fractionally 2.83(8)×10^{-16} at 300 K, an order of magnitude smaller than that of Sr and Yb. We also report calculations of the Cd ^{1}P_{1} lifetime and the ground state C_{6} coefficient.

626-nm single-frequency semiconductor laser system operated near room temperature for mW-level second-harmonic generation at 313 nm.

We report a 626-nm, single-frequency generation based on laser diodes operated near room temperature and the second-harmonic generation with an output power of 2 mW at 313 nm. A fundamental single-frequency laser at 626 nm consists of an external-cavity diode laser and a tapered semiconductor amplifier with 200 mW output. Antireflection coating of the laser diode expands the wavelength tuning range and realizes single-frequency output at 626 nm at room temperature. 313 nm light is generated by cavity-enhanced frequency doubling with a ß-BaB2O4 crystal. A 313 nm laser with mW-level output power is useful for various experiments using laser cooling of beryllium ions.

The long-term survival rate of catecholamine-resistant septic shock in Japanese patients who received vasopressin therapy.

BACKGROUND: Septic shock is associated with vasopressin deficiency and hypersensitivity to its exogenous administration. The aim of this study is to review the 28-day survival rate, hemodynamic and renal effects of vasopressin therapy in refractory septic shock Japanese patients. METHODS: 55 Japanese patients experiencing catecholamine-resistant septic shock were treated with vasopressin. Hemodynamic alterations and the serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase, total bilirubin and creatinine clearance were evaluated following vasopressin treatment. RESULTS: In both, survivors and non-surviving patients, treatment with vasopressin resulted in a significantly increase in mean arterial pressure, hourly urine output, and a significant decrease in heart rate and total pressor dosage requirements. Creatinine clearance was significantly increased only in survivors. There were no significant changes in the serum concentrations of aspartate aminotransferase and total bilirubin. The 28-day survival rate was 45% (25 patients). CONCLUSIONS: In Japanese septic shock patients, vasopressin infusion improved hemodynamic status and reduced catecholamine requirement, and 28-day survival rate was 45%.

A patient with pregnancy-related acute abdomen after hemodialysis for over 18 years.

Because pregnancy is rare in women with end-stage renal disease, dialysis patients have not been reported to present with acute abdominal symptoms related to pregnancy including ectopic pregnancy. A 41-year-old woman treated with hemodialysis for over 18 years was brought to the emergency room at our institution because of acute abdominal pain. Ultrasonography detected an abdominal fluid collection, and her anemia had worsened (hematocrit 18%). Emergency laparoscopic exploration disclosed a hemorrhagic corpus luteum of pregnancy, causing ovarian bleeding on the left. Coagulation of bleeding points was carried out. At this time, pregnancy at 7 weeks of gestation was discovered. After the procedures, hemodialysis frequency was increased to 5 times weekly, and an erythropoietin derivative was administered to maintain a hematocrit above 30%. The patient developed no hypertension. At 33 weeks of gestation, cesarean section was performed because of a decrease in amniotic fluid and frequent late deceleration of the fetal heart rate. A live baby girl weighing 1,422 g was born. The successful pregnancy reflects remarkable progress in dialysis technology. Pregnancy, then, can underlie an acute abdomen in childbearing-age women (14 - 44 years old) undergoing long-term dialysis.

Measuring the frequency of a Sr optical lattice clock using a 120 km coherent optical transfer.

We demonstrate a precision frequency measurement using a phase-stabilized 120 km optical fiber link over a physical distance of 50 km. The transition frequency of the (87)Sr optical lattice clock at the University of Tokyo is measured to be 429228004229874.1(2.4) Hz referenced to international atomic time. The results demonstrate the excellent functions of the intercity optical fiber link and the great potential of optical lattice clocks for use in the redefinition of the second.

Prospects for optical clocks with a blue-detuned lattice.

We investigated the properties of optical lattice clocks operated with a repulsive light-shift potential. The magic wavelength, where light-shift perturbation for the clock transition cancels, was experimentally determined to be 389.889(9) nm for 87Sr. The hyperpolarizability effects on the clock transition were investigated theoretically. With minimal trapping field perturbation provided by the blue-detuned lattice, the fractional uncertainty due to the hyperpolarizability effects was found to be 2x10;{-19} in the relevant clock transition.

Control of the magnetoelectric domain-wall stability by a magnetic field in a multiferroic MnWO4.

The relation between the orientation of the magnetic field and the flopped ferroelectric polarization has been investigated for multiferroic MnWO4. The ferroelectric single-domain state is retained across the polarization flop process when the direction of the applied magnetic field slightly deviates from the b axis within the ab plane. Furthermore, the electric polarization in the high-field P parallela phase is reversed when the P parallelb-to-P parallela transition takes place while decreasing and increasing the magnetic fields oppositely canted from the b axis. These results indicate that the symmetry breaking induced by a canted magnetic field determines the direction of the polarization flop, which corresponds to the direction of the vector spin chirality. The stability of the magnetoelectric domain walls in a canted magnetic field play a key role in the directional control of the electric polarization flop phenomenon.

New limits on coupling of fundamental constants to gravity using 87Sr optical lattice clocks.

The 1S0-3P0 clock transition frequency nuSr in neutral 87Sr has been measured relative to the Cs standard by three independent laboratories in Boulder, Paris, and Tokyo over the last three years. The agreement on the 1 x 10(-15) level makes nuSr the best agreed-upon optical atomic frequency. We combine periodic variations in the 87Sr clock frequency with 199Hg+ and H-maser data to test local position invariance by obtaining the strongest limits to date on gravitational-coupling coefficients for the fine-structure constant alpha, electron-proton mass ratio mu, and light quark mass. Furthermore, after 199Hg+, 171Yb+, and H, we add 87Sr as the fourth optical atomic clock species to enhance constraints on yearly drifts of alpha and mu.

Trapping of neutral mercury atoms and prospects for optical lattice clocks.

We report vapor-cell magneto-optical trapping of Hg isotopes on the (1)S(0)-(3)P(1) intercombination transition. Six abundant isotopes, including four bosons and two fermions, were trapped. Hg is the heaviest nonradioactive atom trapped so far, which enables sensitive atomic searches for "new physics" beyond the standard model. We propose an accurate optical lattice clock based on Hg and evaluate its systematic accuracy to be better than 10;{-18}. Highly accurate and stable Hg-based clocks will provide a new avenue for the research of optical lattice clocks and the time variation of the fine-structure constant.

Multicentric Castleman disease with secondary AA renal amyloidosis, nephrotic syndrome and chronic renal failure, remission after high-dose melphalan and autologous stem cell transplantation.

Multicentric Castleman disease is a systemic lymphoproliferative disease with incomplete understood etiology. The various renal complications of this disease may include minimal change disease, mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, membranous glomerulonephritis and nephrotic syndrome, caused by secondary amyloidosis. In several reported cases of localized Castleman disease associated with renal amyloidosis and nephrotic syndrome, resection of organs involved by lymphoid proliferation resulted in complete remission. However, therapy of multicentric Castleman disease with renal amyloidosis is not well-established. We treated a case of a 39-year-old woman with multicentric Castleman disease complicated by nephrotic syndrome caused by secondary AA amyloidosis. The patient underwent autologous peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (auto-PBSCT), achieving complete remission. Autologous stem cell transplantation may be an attractive choice in therapy for refractory multicentric Castleman disease.

A pediatric occurrence of crescentic glomerulonephritis associated with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies and mesangial IgA deposits.

Antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibody-(ANCA) associated glomerulonephritis usually shows histopathologic features of pauciimmune crescentic glomerulonephritis and occurs late in life. We report a 14-year-old Japanese girl presenting with proteinuria, hematuria and mildly elevated serum creatinine. A renal biopsy specimen demonstrated crescentic glomerulonephritis, immunofluorescence showed mesangial IgA staining. Electron microscopic examination disclosed paramesangial deposits. Serum ANCA against myeloperoxidase (MPO) were detected at high titers. Myeloperoxidase-ANCA-related nephritis accompanied by IgA nephropathy is considered rare in childhood and teen years. Yet, if ANCA assays and detailed electron microscopic examination of renal specimens were performed routinely in patients with rapidly progressive glomerulonephritis, the diagnosis might be more frequent in young patients.

Relationship between p21 and p53 expression, human papilloma virus infection and malignant transformation in sinonasal-inverted papilloma.

AIMS: To identify the relationship between p21 and p53 expression, human papilloma virus (HPV) infection and malignant transformation in sinonasal-inverted papilloma. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Nasal tissues, exophytic papilloma, inverted papilloma (IP) with dysplasia, IP with carcinoma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) were stained with the monoclonal antibodies p21 and p53. In-situ hybridisation for HPV DNA was also carried out for types 6/11, 16/18 and 31/33. RESULTS: Significant increased staining of p21 and p53 was observed in IP with severe dysplasia, IP with carcinoma and invasive carcinoma compared with control nasal mucosa. A significant increase of dysplasia was observed in IP in the HPV 6/11 and 16/18-positive group, compared with the HPV 6/11 and 16/18-negative group. Significant decrease in expression of p21 and p53 was observed in HPV 16/18-positive IP compared with HPV 16/18-negative IP. CONCLUSIONS: Our data raise the possibility that testing for p21, p53 and HPV may help to screen out papilloma lesions with a potential for dysplasia or carcinoma.

Electrodynamic trapping of spinless neutral atoms with an atom chip.

Three-dimensional electrodynamic trapping of neutral atoms has been demonstrated. By applying time-varying inhomogeneous electric fields with micron-sized electrodes, nearly 10(2) strontium atoms in the 1S0 state have been trapped with a lifetime of 80 ms. In order to design the electrodes, we numerically analyzed the electric field and simulated atomic trajectories in the trap, which showed reasonable agreement with the experiment.

Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with carboplatin and uracil-ftegafur in patients with stage two (T2 N0 M0) squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx.

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of concurrent chemoradiotherapy as a primary treatment modality for larynx preservation in patients with stage two squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the glottic larynx. Between February 2000 and August 2003, a total of 20 patients received concurrent chemoradiotherapy. Carboplatin was given intravenously once a week during the period of radiotherapy. The weekly carboplatin dose was based on the area under the curve 1 to 1.25. Uracil-ftegafur (UFT) was given in a daily oral dose of 300 mg as tegafur. Radiotherapy was delivered five days a week using a once-daily fractionation of 2.0 Gray (Gy), to a total dose of 66-72 Gy. The three-year overall survival rate with larynx preservation was 100 per cent. Concurrent chemoradiotherapy with carboplatin and UFT for stage two SCC of the glottic larynx was safe and effective in improving local control with larynx preservation.

Markers of malignant transformation of sinonasal inverted papilloma.

AIM: To measure HPV status, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and transforming growth factor-alpha (TGF-alpha) expression and Ki-67 index in exophytic papilloma (EP), inverted papilloma (IP) with dysplasia, IP with carcinoma and invasive squamous cell carcinoma (SCC). METHODS: Forty-four patients with sinonasal papilloma and invasive SCC were selected. The nasal tissues were stained with monoclonal antibodies to EGFR, TGF-alpha and Ki-67. The results were analysed using quantitative immunohistochemical analysis. In situ hybridization studies for HPV DNA for 6/11, 16/18 and 31/33 were also performed on the tissue. RESULTS: Significant increase of EGFR and TGF-alpha was observed in IP with severe dysplasia, IP with carcinoma and invasive SCC compared to IP with mild dysplasia and control nasal mucosa. And a serial upreguration in terms of Ki-67 index in IP with dysplasia was observed. Among IP, HPV 6/11-positive was present in 42% tumour and HPV 16/18-positive was present in 31% of tumours. Among HPV 6/11 and 16/18-positive IP, significant increase of EGFR and Ki-67 index were observed. CONCLUSION: Pre-cancerous lesions of IP exhibited elevated levels of EGFR and TGF-alpha and these expression may be associated with early events in IP carcinogenesis. HPV infection may be an early event in a multistep process of malignant formation of IP.

Comparison of induction chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin, and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) followed by radiation vs concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TPF in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck.

AIMS: To compare the effectiveness of induction chemotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) followed by radiation with that of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TPF in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). MATERIALS AND METHODS: In a group of patients receiving induction chemotherapy followed by radiation, 15 patients received two cycles of chemotherapy with docetaxel 60 mg/m2, cisplatin 70 mg/m2 and 5-day 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) 750 mg/m2/day. Radiotherapy was begun 21 days after completing chemotherapy. In the group receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy, 19 patients received two cycles of chemotherapy with docetaxel 50 mg/m2, cisplatin 60 mg/m2, and 5-day 5-FU 600 mg/m2/day. Radiation was begun on the first day of chemotherapy. The total radiation dose was between 63 and 74 Gy. RESULTS: Overall response rate (partial and complete response--both 100%) and complete response rate (87% and 84%) were similar, but, in overall survival, concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TPF was better than induction chemotherapy with TPF followed by radiation. Mucositis and anaemia were more frequent in the group receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy, but the group receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TPF improved overall survival. CONCLUSIONS: This is a small non-randomised comparison. The effectiveness of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TPF was better than that of induction chemotherapy with TPF followed by radiation.

Phase I trial of concurrent chemoradiotherapy with docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (TPF) in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN).

The aim of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and toxicity of a concurrent chemoradiotherapy using docetaxel, cisplatin and 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) (TPF) in patients with locally advanced squamous cell carcinoma of the head and neck (SCCHN). In total, 19 patients with previously untreated stage III-IV SCCHN were entered onto this trial. Patients received two cycles of chemotherapy. Cycles were repeated every 4 weeks. The starting doses (dose level 1) were docetaxel 60 mg m(-2), cisplatin 70 mg m(-2), and 5-day continuous infusion of 5-FU 600 mg m(-2) day(-1). Radiation was targeted to begin on the first day of chemotherapy, day 1. The total radiation dose to the primary tumour site and neck lymph nodes was between 63.0 and 74.0 Gy. At least three patients were examined at each dose level before advancing to the next level. The maximum-tolerated dose (MTD) of this regimen was docetaxel 60 mg m(-2), cisplatin 60 mg m(-2) and 5-FU 600 mg m(-2) day(-1). The main toxicities were mucositis (grade 3 and 4, 79%), leukocytopenia (grade 3 and 4, 53%), neutropenia (grade 3 and 4, 42%), anaemia (grade 3, 16%), liver dysfunction (grade 3, 11%) and renal dysfunction (grade 2, 11%). The overall response rate was 100%, including 84% complete responses (CRs). This concurrent chemoradiotherapy with TPF was safe and well tolerated. The high CR rate justifies further evaluation of this chemoradiotherapy modality in advanced SCCHN patients.

Successful allogeneic blood stem cell transplantation for aplastic anemia in a patient with renal insufficiency requiring dialysis.

A 27-year-old man with aplastic anemia and renal insufficiency requiring dialysis underwent allogeneic PBSCT. The preparative regimen consisted of melphalan, ATG and TLI. GVHD prophylaxis consisted of cyclosporine and prednisolone. He was dialyzed prior to administration of melphalan and at 24 and 72 h after it. Otherwise, the dialysis schedule was unchanged, at three times a week. Engraftment was rapid. Regimen-related toxicity was minimal. Pharmacokinetic parameters of melphalan were not significantly altered with its plasma half-life 1.5 h. Patients with renal failure can receive allogeneic HSCT, and a combination of melphalan, ATG and TLI may serve as an alternative to CY and ATG.

Domain growth by isothermal aging in 3D Ising and Heisenberg spin glasses.

Nonequilibrium dynamics of three-dimensional model spin glasses, the Ising system Fe0.50Mn0.50TiO3 and the Heisenberg-like system Ag(11 at % Mn), has been investigated by measurements of the isothermal time decay of the low frequency ac susceptibility after a quench from the paramagnetic to the spin-glass phase. It is found that the relaxation data measured at different temperatures can be scaled according to predictions from the droplet scaling model, provided that critical fluctuations are accounted for in the analyses.