Long pulse production of high current D(-) ion beams in the JT-60 negative ion source.

The first long pulse production of high power D(-) ion beams has been demonstrated in the JT-60 U negative ion sources, each of which was designed to produce 22 A, 500 keV D(-) ion beams. Voltage holding capability and the grid power loading were examined for long pulse production of high power D(-) ion beams. From the correlation between voltage holding and the light intensity of cathodoluminescence from the Fiber Reinforced Plastic insulators, the acceleration voltage for stable voltage holding capability was found to be less than 320-340 kV where the light was sufficiently suppressed. By tuning the extraction voltage, the grid power loadings in the ion sources were decreased to the allowable levels for long pulse injection without a significant reduction of the beam power. After tuning the acceleration and extraction voltages, D(-) ion beams of 12.5 and 9.8 A were produced at 340 keV with cesium seeding at a rate of approximately 14 microg/s into the ion sources. The pulse duration of these D(-) ion beams was extended step by step, and then was successfully extended up to 18 s without degradation of the negative ion production. The D(-) ion beams were neutralized to yield 3.6 MW D(0) beams by a gas cell, and then injected into the JT-60 U plasma. Further, a slight reduction of D(-) ion beam power allowed the longer injection duration of 21 s at a D(0) beam power of 3.2 MW. The success in the long pulse production of a high power D(-) ion beam shows that negative ion beams can be produced during a few tens of seconds without degradations of negative ion production and the voltage holding in a large Cs-seeded negative ion source.

Evaluation of MBR effluent characteristics for reuse purposes.

One of the advantages of MBR is its excellent effluent quality, which is suitable for a wide range of reuse purposes. We investigated the characteristics of MBR effluent and evaluated them based on the Japanese guideline for the reuse of treated wastewater. As the result, MBR effluent showed qualitative coaracteristics that satisfy the requirement except chromaticity for recreational purpose. Further treatment, such as by oxone or activated carbon, will be required to remove the remaining color. MBR shows high removal efficiency of bacteria and other hazardous microorganisms such as Cryptosporidium. We investigated the removal efficiency of virus by MBR using coliphage as an alternative index. The results showed that high removal efficiency for coliphage could be obtained by MBR. The removal mechanism appears to be that coliphage are attached to the activated sludge and thus rejected by the membrane together with activated sludge particles. With regard to the endocrine disrupters, no significant differences were observed between MBR and CAS in the removal of main endocrine disrupters.

[A senile case of acute necrotizing myopathy presenting prolonged severe muscle paralysis due to high dose glucocorticoid and muscle relaxant].

An 82-year old man was admitted with dyspnea, productive cough and wheezing. In addition to antibiotics (meropenem trihydrate 0.5 g/day), glucocorticoids (hydrocortisone 1.250 mg, methylpredonisolone 4.250 mg) were administered for the severe bronchospasms. Since his respiratory condition deteriorated, he underwent mechanical ventilation using a muscle relaxant (vecuronium bromide, total dose 776 mg) in combination with high dose glucocorticoid. As his pneumonia improved on the 10th hospital day, we started weaning him from the ventilator. However, we were unable to complete weaning from the ventilator because of prolonged quadriplegia and paralysis of the respiratory muscles. A few days later, myoglobinuria appeared. Electrophysiological examinations suggested the involvement of both neuromuscular junctions and muscles. Muscle biopsy showed rhabdomyolysis. Acute necrotizing myopathy was diagnosed due to high doses of glucocorticoid, muscle relaxant, or both. He required about 3 months to be weaned from the mechanical ventilation, and another 3 months to leave the hospital. Based on our experience, we should consider acute myopathy as an adverse effect of glucocorticoids, muscle relaxants or both in elderly patients who require mechanical ventilation.

[Microscopic polyangitis with pleuritis as the only pulmonary complication].

A 75-year-old woman was admitted to our hospital because of high fever and appetite loss. A chest roentgenogram and computed tomographic scans revealed pleural effusion without obvious infitrative or interstitial shadows in both lung fields. Laboratory data showed microhematuria, proteinuria, and telescoped sediment with a moderate increase in C-reactive protein, suggestive of acute glomerulonephritis. Because infectious pleuritis, was initially suspected, the patient was treated with antibiotics. However, her general condition deteriorated, and the right pleural effusion increased. Levels of myeloperoxidase-specific anti-neutrophil cytoplasmic antibody (MPO-ANCA) in serum and pleural effusion were markedly elevated, yielding a conclusive diagnosis of MPO-ANCA-related vasculitis, especially microscopic polyangitis (MPA). The Patient was immediately treated treated with prednisolone, cyclophosphamide, and plasma exchange. Several weeks later, her general condition dramatically improved, and the level of MPO-ANCA in serum markedly decreased. In addition, the pleural effusion completely disappeared. Unfortunately, the patient eventually died of opportunistic infections (MRSA-pneumonia and Aspergillus-pneumonia) 6 months after admission. This was a unique case of MPA associated with pleuritis without interstitial pneumonia or alveolar hemorrhage.

Molecular Analysis of Bacterial Communities in a Three-Compartment Granular Activated Sludge System Indicates Community-Level Control by Incompatible Nitrification Processes.

Bacterial community structure and the predominant nitrifying activities and populations in each compartment of a three-compartment activated sludge system were determined. Each compartment was originally inoculated with the same activated sludge community entrapped in polyethylene glycol gel granules, and ammonium nitrogen was supplied to the system in an inorganic salts solution at a rate of 5.0 g of N liter of granular activated sludge-1 day-1. After 150 days of operation, the system was found to comprise a series of sequential nitrifying reactions (K. Noto, T. Ogasawara, Y. Suwa, and T. Sumino, Water Res. 32:769-773, 1998), presumably mediated by different bacterial populations. Activity data showed that all NH4-N was completely oxidized in compartments one and two (approximately half in each), but no significant nitrite oxidation was observed in these compartments. In contrast, all available nitrite was oxidized to nitrate in compartment three. To study the microbial populations and communities in this system, total bacterial DNA isolated from each compartment was analyzed for community structure based on the G+C contents of the component populations. Compartment one showed dominant populations having 50 and 67% G+C contents. Compartment two was similar in structure to compartment one. The bacterial community in compartment three had dominant populations with 62 and 67% G+C contents and retained the 50% G+C content population only at a greatly diminished level. The 50% G+C content population from compartment one hybridized strongly with amo (ammonia monooxygenase) and hao (hydroxylamine oxidoreductase) gene probes from Nitrosomonas europaea. However, the 50% G+C content population from compartment two hybridized strongly with the hao probe but only weakly with the amo probe, suggesting that the predominant ammonia-oxidizing populations in compartments one and two might be different. Since different activities and populations come to dominate in each compartment from an identical inoculum, it appears that the nitrification processes may be somewhat incompatible, resulting in a series of sequential reactions and different communities in this three-compartment system.

[Determination of urinary CA19-9 levels in urothelial cancer--assessment of its role in diagnosis].

BACKGROUND: Although Carbohydrate antigen19-9 (CA19-9) is known to be high of its positive rate in blood in pancreatic cancer, etc., recently there have been scattered of cases of urothelial carcinoma in which elevated CA19-9 levels have been detected in both serum and urine. In this study we determined both urine and serum levels of CA19-9 in order to evaluate their diagnostic role of urinary CA19-9. MATERIALS: A total 82 patients, i.e., 32 with bladder cancer, 4 with renal pelvic/ureteral cancer, 5 with renal cancer, 13 with prostatic cancer, 5 with other malignancies, 10 with prostatic hyperplasia, 6 with urolithiasis, 7 with other benign diseases, served as the subjects of this study. METHODS: CA19-9 was determined by EIA method in first-morning urine and serum using a CA19-9 measurement kit (Centocor). Urinary values corrected for the creatinine level in the same sample have been used and are shown as U/mg creatinine (Cr). Urinary CA19-9 and urinary cytology were evaluated in some cases. An immunohistochemical study of CA19-9 for surgical specimens was conducted by the ABC method, using a Histo 19-9 kit (COMPAGNIE ORIS INDUSTRIES S.A.). RESULTS: The cut-off value for serum levels was 37 U/ml, and urine levels were determined in U/mg Cr with a cut-off value of 100 U/mg Cr. The urinary CA19-9 levels was significantly higher (390.9 +/- 934.1 U/mg Cr) in urothelial cancer than in the control group (91.48 +/- 20.0 U/ mg Cr). In urothelial cancer, grade 1 and grade 2 cases were more sensitive than grade 3 cases and they also tended to be high level, although only 27.8% of urothelial cancer patients showed an elevation of serum CA19-9. CA19-9 was detected in all urothelial cancers which could be studied immunohistochemically. In 8 out of 16 superficial cancers CA19-9 was detected in more than 90% of cancer cells, though there were few CA19-9 positive cells in infiltrating cancers. Urinary CA19-9 was more sensitive than urinary cytology, especially in low grade cancers. CONCLUSION: The determination of urinary CA19-9 may be a useful tumor marker of urothelial cancer, and especially in low grade cancer it may be useful in diagnosing of them because its urinary level is high and it is more sensitive than urinary cytology.

[Cardiac sarcoidosis with myopathy and advanced A-V nodal block in a woman with a previous diagnosis of sarcoidosis].

In 1992, a 49-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital because of exertional dyspnea. Three years earlier sarcoidosis had been diagnosed, and the patient was found to have bilateral hilar lymphadenopathy. The eye, skin, and knee joint were also involved. During the second hospital stay, atrial flutter with advanced A-V nodal block, scattered defects on a 201T1 scintigram, and marked cardiomegaly on chest roentgenogram led to the diagnosis of cardiac sarcoidosis. Signs and symptoms of cardiac failure subsided after placement of an artificial cardiac pacemaker, but the patient still complained of mild muscle weakness in the lower extremities on exertion. 67Ga scintigraphy revealed marked accumulation in the lower extremities, and muscle biopsy of the left gastrocnemius revealed numerous epithelioid cell granulomas with muscle fiber degeneration. Oral corticosteroid therapy was effective. A review of the 24 cases of sarcoid myopathy reported in Japan indicated that the male-to-female ratio is 1:3.8. As compared to patients in whom myopathy led to the diagnosis of sarcoidosis, those in whom myopathy developed after sarcoidosis was diagnosed were (1) relatively older, (2) more likely to have multiple organ involvement, and (3) more likely to have cardiac sarcoidosis. Corticosteroids were beneficial in about three quarters of these 16 cases, who received corticosteroid therapy.

Identification and functional characterization of mouse CD29 with a mAb.

The beta 1 integrin subfamily, alternatively called very late activation antigen (VLA), has been implicated in various cellular functions. In this study, we generated a mAb against the mouse beta 1 subunit (CD29) to examine the functional property of mouse VLA proteins. After immunization with affinity-purified mouse VLA-4 (alpha 4 beta 1), a hamster mAb, HM beta 1-1, was established by screening mAb that reacted with alpha 4-negative neuroblastoma C1300. The antigen defined by HM beta 1-1 was widely distributed in various mouse cell lines and HM beta 1-1 immunoprecipitated a 110-120 kDa protein common to VLA-1 and VLA-6, indicating that HM beta 1-1 recognizes the beta 1 subunit of mouse integrins. We then examined the inhibitory effect of HM beta 1-1 on VLA-dependent cell adhesion and activation. HM beta 1-1 blocked the adhesion of mouse tumor cell lines to extracellular matrix proteins including collagen, laminin and fibronectin. Moreover, splenic T cell proliferation induced by anti-CD3 mAb and allogeneic mixed lymphocyte response were strongly inhibited by HM beta 1-1 in combination with an anti-LFA-1 mAb. We conclude that HM beta 1-1 reactive with mouse CD29 can inhibit VLA-dependent cellular functions and, thus, would be useful for studying the physiological role of beta 1 integrins in vivo.

A case of arterial priapism treated by embolization.

An 18-year-old unmarried man, who had shown arterial priapism caused by mild perineal trauma sustained during skate-boarding, has been successfully treated by autologous clot embolization at the common penile artery. He was able to have a normal erection and ejaculate 5 d after embolization.

[Gene transfer to airway epithelial cells: current status and future direction].

Advances in recombinant DNA technology and molecular and cellular biology have made it feasible to introduce genes into living cells. The most sophisticated gene transduction methods have bee applied to gene therapy strategies for the potential treatment of genetic diseases. In regard to lung diseases, alpha 1-antitrypsin deficiency and cystic fibrosis, the most common hereditary lung disorders in Caucasians, have been targeted for gene therapy. To date, gene therapy studies have been confined to ex vivo strategies for treatment of ADA deficiency with retroviral vectors. However, there are two major obstacles to gene transfer to the bronchial epithelium. First, bronchial epithelium, such as that with ciliated cells, is terminally differentiated, and does not divide rapidly. Second, the complex architecture of the lung precludes replacing the existing bronchial epithelium with cells modified by gene transfer. In the context of these properties of bronchial epithelium, adenovirus vectors have been evaluated for direct introduction of therapeutic genes to bronchial epithelium via the airway in vivo. An in vivo experiment revealed that gene transfer with a replication-deficient adenovirus containing the E. coli lacZ (beta-galactosidase) gene driven by cytomegalovirus promoter (AdCMVlacZ) was 10(4) times more efficient than gene transfer with a plasmid containing the same expression cassette (pCMVlacZ). An experiment based on in vitro data was done to evaluate the distribution of the expression of the exogenous genes transferred by adenovirus vectors. Intratracheal administration of AdCMVlacZ into lungs of experimental animals resulted in a high number of beta-gal-positive epithelial cells in bronchiols, rather than in proximal bronchi. Thus, a replication-deficient adenovirus can be used to transfer exogenous genes to airway epithelial cells in vivo. This technique may be useful in gene therapy for cystic fibrosis. Gene transfer can be thought of as the use of genetic information to modity the milieu of the target organ. In addition, gene transfer may allow the introduction of new genes, or the alteration tion of existing genes in intact animals. Gene transfer could them be used to produce animal models of human lung diseases that are particularly difficult to study.

[Structures and functions of adhesion molecules--involvement of adhesion molecules in the pathogenesis].

Previous studies have revealed that adhesion molecules are involved in immune responses, such as the interaction between T cells and antigen presenting cells. Recent investigations demonstrated that one of these molecules, integrins, which was concerned with cell-cell adhesion and cell-extracellular matrix proteins, was prominently expressed on lymphocytes and neutrophils in inflammatory diseases. In addition, administration of monoclonal antibodies against integrins in vivo abrogated the inflammatory responses completely in rats. These findings suggest that adhesion molecules are involved in not only immune responses but also in the pathogenesis of inflammatory diseases. As shown here, integrins also play an important role in the metastasis of small cell lung cancers.

[A case report: occurrence of bladder carcinoma in the defunctionalised bladder in a patient after operation of left ureteral carcinoma].

An eighty year-old woman was diagnosed as left ureteral carcinoma and right dysfunctional kidney in 1984. Left partial ureterectomy, partial cystectomy, and left ureterocutaneostomy were performed and her bladder was left behind after the operation. In 1990 (72 months after the operation), she was aware of bleeding from the urethra. A bladder wash was performed, demonstrating malignant cells on cytological examination, and cystoscopy revealed a papillary tumor in the defunctionalized bladder. Total cystectomy was performed and the histological findings of the surgical specimen showed transitional cell carcinoma, grade 2, pTaNoMo. This case shows the need for periodic examinations of the defunctionalized bladder, because renal pelvic and ureteral carcinoma tends to recur in the bladder within two years after operation and because tumors rarely developed in the defunctionalized bladder.

[Electron microscopic observations of the porcine middle ear--normal cases].

Pigs are frequently used in basic studies of the middle ear because they have a middle ear air cell system which resembles the human mastoid air cell system. However, the morphology of epithelial cells of the middle ear of pigs has not been thoroughly studied. In this study, the morphological features of the mucosal epithelium of the normal porcine middle ear from juveniles to adults were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The features were compared with the mucosal epithelium of the human middle ear. Macroscopic observation of the resected middle ears showed all normal. The mucoepithelial cells of the normal porcine middle ear consisted of ciliated cells, non-ciliated cells, secretory cells and basal cells. Ciliated cells were distributed most densely in the Eustachian tube and tube orifice of the middle ear cleft, decreasing in number towards the air cell system, where no ciliated cells were found. The distribution of secretory cells was similar to that of ciliated cells, while non-ciliated cells distributed conversely. Ciliated cells of juvenile pigs had 40 to 100 cilia 5 to 6 mu in length and 0.2 to 0.3 mu in thickness and microvilli on the cell surface. On the other hand, pigs 4 weeks old or older, had ciliated cells with 80 to 100 cilia 5 to 8 mu in length and 0.3 to 0.4 mu in thickness. Younger pigs had a smaller range of ciliated cell distribution. The range increased with growth, and rapidly expanded by 2 weeks after birth; then the expansion slowed down to 4 weeks, when the distribution was similar that in maturity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Electron microscopic observations of the porcine middle ear--inflammatory changes].

In previous studies, the morphology of the mucoepithelial cells of the middle ear of normal pigs has been found to be similar to that of humans. In this study, otitis media was induced in 18 ears by transcanal injection of glycerin into the middle ear cleft and morphological changes were investigated by scanning and transmission electron microscopy. The mucoepithelial cells of the inflamed porcine middle ear consisted of ciliated cells, non-ciliated cells, secretory cells and basal cells, and the distribution of these cells was similar to that of normal cases. In the inflamed Eustachian tube and middle ear cleft, the epithelial cells were detached, the intracellular junctions ruptured and there was subepithelial thickening in some places. In addition, the cilia were detached or deformed irregularly. On the other hand, ciliated cells, bulging non-ciliated cells, secretory cells and columnar cells were increased in numbers. These features suggested that the muco-ciliary system of the inflamed ears had been stimulated. In the air cell system, however, there were signs of mucoepithelial cell injury, but no evidence suggesting that the muco-ciliary system had been stimulated as in the Eustachian tube or middle ear cleft. The inflammatory changes in the mucoepithelial cells in the Eustachian tube and middle ear cleft gradually returned to normal but in the air cell system, the changes were persistent. Moreover, the signs of mucoepithelial cell injury remained longer when inflammation occurred at a younger age.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

[Rapid etiologic diagnosis of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis].

We evaluated enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Adenoclone) in 253 cases of epidemic keratoconjunctivitis (EKC), pharyngeal conjunctival fever (PCF) and acute conjunctivitis. The clinical diagnosis due to adenoviral ocular infection was 86/114 (75%) in EKC, 26/50 (52%) in PCF and 25/89 (28%) in acute conjunctivitis, Adenoclone was positive only within 7 days after the disease onset. The specificity (87%) and sensitivity (74%) of Adenoclone were confirmed by isolate cell culture. Cases with corneal complication due to adenoviral infection show higher a value than the OD value in Adenoclone and the bulbar conjunctiva is a suitable site to detect adenoviral antigen. In this survey, isolated adnovirus type 4 was recognized in 53%, Ad8 in 14%, Ad3 in 13%, Ad37 in 5%, Ad19 in 2% and non typed Ad in 12%. Clinical findings due to Ad4 showed EKC in 50%, PCF in 30% and acute conjunctivitis in 20% respectively.