The dynamic motion of pseudo-sputum mucin solution on a vibrating plate.

The motion of pseudo-sputum (20% solution of mucin) on a vibrating plate has been investigated using a function generator and an amplifier. Many finger-like liquid columns have appeared at appropriate frequencies (100-130 Hz) from a droplet of the solution on a vibrating plate. The viscosity of the mucin solution was measured using a capillary viscometer of the Maron-Krieger-Sisko type, and it was shown that the shear-thinning viscosity occurred in the lower frequency region contrary to the fact that the most abnormal viscosity of the rheological dilatancy fluid emerges in higher frequency than the frequency in which it behaves the normal one; the most important mechanical cause of this soliton-like phenomenon or the emergence of finger-like column and wrinkles on the surface of fluid is thought to be the rheological dilatancy (shear-thickening viscosity) of source liquid. In connection with this vibrating liquid column phenomenon, the spectrums of productive cough were also investigated, and it was proved that the effective low frequency vibration, which is a characteristic spectrum of productive cough, is essential for the expectoration and is a similar mechanism to the above-mentioned pug mechanism of the finger-like liquid columns seen on the vibrating plate.

Reduction therapy of alanine aminotransferase levels prevent HCC development in patients with HCV-associated cirrhosis.

BACKGROUND: To find a way to prevent the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) from hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC), an analysis of the HCV-LC patients who had received reduction therapy of the alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels was performed. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Seventy-four consecutive HCV-LC patients of Child Stage A were followed for >10 years for the development of HCC. They were divided into two groups: in group A, the reduction therapy for the ALT levels was aggressively performed, while in group B, the reduction therapy was not performed aggressively. The patients were subdivided into three sub-groups according to their serum ALT levels. In groups A and B, the high ALT group was comprised, respectively, of nine and five patients whose annual average serum ALT levels were persistently high (> or =80 IU), while the low ALT group was comprised of 19 and 20 patients whose annual average serum ALT levels were persistently low (<80 IU). The remaining eleven and ten patients had annual average serum ALT levels which fluctuated and were unclassified (unclassified group). RESULTS: In group B, 65.7% of the patients had developed HCC in 13 years, in contrast to only 41.0% of group A (p=0.039). In group A, the median HCC development time was 12.8 years, in contrast to only 3.8 years in group B (p=0.0013). Multivariate analysis demonstrated that the mode of reduction therapy and ALT levels were the significant factors affecting HCC development. CONCLUSION: The chances of surviving for more than ten years without developing HCC for HCV-LC patients

Resonance of sputum spigot with air vibration.

A mathematical model calculation has been presented on the resonant frequency of the oscillating sputum spigot in a cylindrical pipe, with which we investigated similar phenomena in bronchial tubes. We confirmed the theoretical results by two types of experiments using pseudo-sputum (5 and 10% solutions of mucin) spigots instead of a human pulmonary one, and found the model was suitable for estimating the effects of clinical vibrational treatments expectorating sputum spigots plugged in small bronchi. The main points of the paper are summarized as follows. 1. The validity of the fluid model used was verified using reported experimental data of Litt and co-workers. After adjusting their data in a Casson plot, Casson fluidity was found to be the best parameter to represent viscosity of the sputum. 2. A theoretical investigation on the vibrational sputum spigots in narrow tubes was done using an analytical model calculation. From the resultant formula, which expresses the resonant frequency of the oscillation of the spigot with its physical values (the radius of the airway, the length of the spigot, the elasticity of the sputum, and the surface tension), many points became clear; for example, the resonant frequency of sputum spigot vibration in a narrow bronchial tube is too high to propagate there under the effective influence of surface tension. 3. Two experiments were performed with pseudo-sputum (5 and 10% solutions of mucin) instead of a human pulmonary one. After substituting the resonant frequencies of the pseudo-sputum spigot vibration in our tube experiment into the resultant formula derived from our analytical model calculation we estimated the elasticity values, which agreed with those from our plate experiment. The validity of our theory was strongly supported by this agreement.

Sustained low alanine aminotransferase levels can predict the survival for 10 years without hepatocellular carcinoma development in patients with hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis of child stage A.

An analysis was performed of the patients with hepatitis C virus-associated liver cirrhosis (HCV-LC) who never developed hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) for 10 years after the histological diagnosis of LC. Seventy-four consecutive HCV-LC patients of Child stage A were observed for >10 years prospectively for the development of HCC with frequent ultrasonography and magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography. Of the 63 patients who fulfilled the study, 48 patients were treated and 15 were nontreated because of their stable state. They were subdivided into three groups according to their serum alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels: the high ALT group comprised of 23 patients whose annual average serum ALT level was persistently high (>/=80 IU); the low ALT group comprised of 28 patients whose annual average serum ALT level was persistently low (<80 IU), and the unclassified ALT group comprised of 12 patients. In the low ALT group, as high as 71.4% of patients had never developed HCC for 10 years, in contrast to only 17.4% in the high ALT group (p < 0.001). In the 30 patients who never developed HCC for 10 years, 20 patients belonged to the low ALT group, in contrast to only 4 belonging to the high ALT group. Sustained low ALT levels were important to survive for 10 years without developing HCC in the HCV-LC patients of Child stage A.