Data on processing of Ti-25Nb-25Zr ß-titanium alloys via powder metallurgy route: Methodology, microstructure and mechanical properties.

The data presented in this article are related to the research article entitled "Cyclic Shear behavior of conventional and harmonic structure-designed Ti-25Nb-25Zr ß-titanium alloy: Back-stress hardening and twinning inhibition" (Dirras et al., 2017) [1]. The datasheet describes the methods used to fabricate two ß-titanium alloys having conventional microstructure and so-called harmonic structure (HS) design via a powder metallurgy route, namely the spark plasma sintering (SPS) route. The data show the as-processed unconsolidated powder microstructures as well as the post-SPS ones. The data illustrate the mechanical response under cyclic shear loading of consolidated alloy specimens. The data show how electron back scattering diffraction(EBSD) method is used to clearly identify induced deformation features in the case of the conventional alloy.

Therapeutic effect of clarithromycin for respiratory-tract infections in children caused by Chlamydia pneumoniae. Research Group of Sapporo for Pediatric Chlamydial Infections.

Children infected with Chlamydia pneumoniae sometimes experience lower respiratory tract infections such as pneumonia and bronchitis. Although numerous anti-microbial compounds have been reported to be active against the organism, most of them have not been in a clinical trial in infants and children with C. pneumoniae infection. Clarithromycin has been shown to express anti-chlamydial effects in vitro. In this study, we evaluated the clinical anti-C. pneumoniae properties of clarithromycin in children with mainly lower respiratory tract infection. We administered clarithromycin orally to 21 infants and children at a dose of 10-15 mg/kg/day divided into two or three doses for 4-21 days. Clinical symptoms, roentgenographic and laboratory abnormal findings improved. The overall clinical efficacy rate was 85.7% (18 of 21 cases). Administration of clarithromycin was considered to be a suitable treatment for improving lower respiratory infections in infants and children caused by C. pneumoniae.

Ultrasonographic assessment of Salmonella enterocolitis in children.

BACKGROUND: Salmonella enterocolitis (SE) is one of the important causes of acute infectious diarrhoea. Imaging studies are rarely performed on these patients. Consequently, ultrasound (US) features of SE are controversial. OBJECTIVE: To identify the clinical significance of US in the evaluation of SE. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Abdominal US was performed in 15 patients with SE and 9 patients with Rotavirus enterocolitis (RE). RESULTS: Ascites was present in 60 % and mural thickening of the colon in 40 % of patients with SE on abdominal US, whereas we could not identify these features in patients with RE. In patients with SE, colonic wall thickening; and ascites, the levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) were significantly higher as compared to patients with SE and no colonic wall thickening or ascites. Also, the stool occult blood test was positive more often in patients with colonic wall thickening and ascites on US than in patients without these findings. The colonic wall thickness significantly correlated with CRP and stool occult blood level. CONCLUSIONS: US is able to identify pathological changes in bowel and intra-abdominal spaces. The US findings of ascites and colonic wall thickening may be useful for determining the severity of SE.

Acanthotic type of eccrine poroma on the arm: report of a case.

A 72-year-old Japanese man with eccrine poroma on the arm is described. To the best of our knowledge, he is the fifth patient with this tumor on the arm reported from Japan. The histopathological type of the tumor of our patient was unique because it was acanthotic; those of the previous patients were all of the intradermal type.

Ultrasonic assessment of the lingual thyroid gland in children.

Demonstration of ectopic thyroid tissue is diagnostic of thyroid dysgenesis. Delineating the lingual thyroid is, therefore, one of the important issues in ultrasonic imaging. We delineated the lingual thyroid in eight patients with congenital hypothyroidism using two basic scanning positions: the midline sagittal and the posterior coronal views of the floor of the mouth. All the lingual thyroids were located close to the hyoid bone. This location correlated well with the observations on radioisotope scanning. We emphasise the importance of a knowledge of the sonographic anatomy of the floor of the mouth in obtaining satisfactory results in this examination.

Expression of cathepsin B-like enzyme activity in cell lysate from cultured human normal keratinocytes.

In the present study, we have found that the cell lysate from cultured human normal keratinocytes from foreskin (HFKs) hydrolyzed alpha-N-benzoyl-DL-arginine beta-naphthylamide (BANA), and the BANA hydrolysis occurred most under conditions of 37 degrees C and pH 6.0. This activity was strongly inhibited by leupeptin, which is an inhibitor to cathepsin B. These results suggested that the cell lysate from cultured HFKs contained cathepsin B-like enzyme activity. This is the first report to demonstrate that cathepsin B-like enzyme activity was expressed in the cell lysate from human normal keratinocytes.

Retractile mesenteritis in a 12-year-old girl: CT findings.

We report a pathologically proven case of retractile mesenteritis in a 12-year-old girl. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated a large mass of fat density completely circumscribing the colon. Although the definitive diagnosis of retractile mesenteritis depends on histopathological findings, recognition of CT features is helpful in the diagnosis.

Inhibitory effect of lead on tube formation by cultured human vascular endothelial cells.

The effect of lead acetate (Pb) on the formation of capillary-like structures (tube formation) by cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVECs) was examined. HUVECs were seeded on a gelled basement membrane matrix (Matrigel). Treatment of HUVECs with 0.3-30.0 microM Pb for 24 hours inhibited the tube formation dose-dependently. The length of tube formation decreased time-dependently with 3.0-10.0 microM Pb. To elucidate the main target factor of Pb for this inhibition, the effects of Pb on the activity of protein kinase C (PKC) and Matrigel were examined. The addition of beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA, 50 nM), an activator of PKC, and isoquinolinesulfonamide derivative (H-7, 30 microM), an inhibitor of PKC, showed an increase and decrease in the tube formation, respectively. However, the results of simultaneous addition of Pb and either PMA or H-7 to HUVECs indicated that PMA and H-7 acted not synergistically but additively. When PKC activities in HUVECs were measured by a colorimetric assay after treatments with 3.0-10.0 microM Pb for 24 hours, there was no significant change in PKC activity in the cells. The Pb-inhibition of tube formation was suggested to be independent of PKC activity. Pretreatment of Matrigel with 3.0-10.0 microM Pb for different periods decreased the tube formation dose- and time-dependently. These findings suggest that Pb can inhibit the tube formation by HUVECs dose- and time-dependently and that the inhibitory effect of Pb could be dependent on the degeneration of Matrigel, not on PKC activity.

Methylmercury modulation of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 mRNA expression in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.

The effect of methylmercury (MeHg; CH3HgCl) on the gene expression of monocyte chemotactic protein-1 (MCP-1) by human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) was examined. PBMC were exposed with or without thrombin (1 U/ml) or MeHg (0.3 or 3.0 microM) for 24 hours. The total RNA was reverse transcribed and then amplified by the method of reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Thrombin enhanced MCP-1 mRNA expression in PBMC. MeHg inhibited thrombin-stimulated MCP-1 mRNA expression in a dose dependent manner. These findings suggest that MeHg affects the atherosclerotic process by changing MCP-1 mRNA expression in PBMC.

Cadmium injures tube formation by cultured human vascular endothelial cells.

The effect of cadmium chloride (Cd; CdCl2) on the tube formation by cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) was examined. HUVEC were collected by enzymatic digestion with collagenase. Tube formation was studied by culturing the cells on a gelled basement membrane matrix (Matrigel). Treatment of HUVEC with 0.1 microM-1.0 mM Cd for 24 hours inhibited tube formation dose-dependently. The cadmium concentration inhibiting tube formation by 50% relative to untreated cells was about 150 microM. The length of tube formation decreased time-dependently with 150 microM Cd. The treatment of HUVEC by 50 nM of beta-phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA), an activator of protein kinase C, increased tube formation. However, the inhibitory effect of Cd on tube formation was not affected by the addition of PMA. The pretreatment of the Matrigel by Cd inhibited tube formation similarly to the results of Cd treatment. These findings suggest that Cd inhibits the formation of a capillary network by HUVEC, and that the Cd-inhibitory effect on tube formation may have been dependent in this study on the degeneration of Matrigel by Cd.

The ten-day mark as a practical diagnostic approach for acute paranasal sinusitis in children.

BACKGROUND: Sinusitis is one of the diseases most frequently overlooked by the primary practitioner. METHODS: We suspected the diagnosis of sinusitis in children with respiratory symptoms that persisted for > 10 days: the 10-day mark. A radiographic projection of maxillary sinuses (Water's view) was indicated, and patients with abnormal radiographs were diagnosed as having sinusitis. After antimicrobial treatment for 2 weeks, we evaluated clinical outcome and follow-up radiographs. RESULTS: The 10-day mark culled 146 suspected children from 2013 outpatients with respiratory complaints. Water's view radiographs revealed sinusitis in 135 patients (92.5% of the suspected children). They included 35 patients with allergy. After treatment only 4 patients in the allergy group (11%) improved completely. In contrast 61 nonallergic patients (61%) were completely improved. CONCLUSIONS: The 10-day mark is a simple and practical diagnostic basis for acute paranasal sinusitis. The associated allergic respiratory diseases respond infrequently to antimicrobial treatment.

Copper enhances EDNO (endothelium-derived nitric oxide) activity by cultured human vascular endothelial cells.

The effect of copper sulfate (Cu) on viable cell number, endothelium-derived nitric oxide (EDNO), and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) was investigated. The viable cell number was not affected by the addition of Cu (1.0-500.0 microM). To assess the effect of EDNO by HUVEC, platelet aggregation experiments were performed, using cuvettes lined with HUVEC. Thrombin (0.05 units/ml)-induced platelet aggregation was markedly inhibited in the presence of HUVEC compared with aggregation in the absence of HUVEC. The HUVEC-dependent anti-platelet aggregatory effect was slightly reduced when HUVEC were pretreated with indomethacin (IND; 1.0 micro M), an inhibitor of the cyclo-oxygenase pathway. However, the thrombin-induced platelet aggregation in the presence of HUVEC pretreated with IND was smaller than that in the absence of HUVEC, which is dependent on EDNO. The anti-platelet aggregatory effect of HUVEC pretreated with IND was increased dose-dependently by 48-hour pretreatment of HUVEC with Cu (1.0-100.0 microM). To assess the effect of Cu on NOS, HUVEC were stained with NOS/NADPH diaphorase. However, there were no significant differences in the NOS-positive HUVEC cell count between cells without Cu and those with various concentrations of Cu. These findings suggest that Cu stimulates the activity of EDNO, which action may be dependent on Cu decreasing EDNO-oxidative damage.

T-cell receptor gene structures of HLA-A26-restricted cytotoxic T lymphocyte lines against human autologous pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

We isolated two cytotoxic T lymphocyte (CTL) lines, which were independently obtained by mixed lymphocyte-tumor cell culture from tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes of a patient with pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Both lines behaved identically in all the functional aspects tested and appeared to be HLA-A26-restricted. We analyzed their T cell receptor (TCR) gene structures, including V-(D)-J junctional sequences, which are unique to each T-cell clonotype and contribute to TCR diversity. Each line consisted of a clonal T-cell expressing V alpha 18 and V beta 7. The alpha chain gene was composed of V alpha 18/J alpha F/C alpha and the beta-chain gene, of V beta 7.1/D beta/J beta 1.4/C beta 2. The sequences were all in-frame and therefore should yield functional transcripts. The junctional sequences were identical between the two lines. These data suggested that the two CTL clones having the same CDR3 had descended from a common precursor lymphocyte. The clonal expansion of CTL lines with the identical CDR3 implies that they are directed against the same tumor antigen, which seemed to be immunologically dominant in the specific interaction between the CTL and the autologous pancreatic adenocarcinoma.

Effect of lead on tube formation by cultured human vascular endothelial cells.

The effect of lead acetate (Pb) on the growth of and tube formation by cultured human umbilical vascular endothelial cells (HUVEC) was examined. HUVEC were collected by enzymatic digestion with collagenase. The number of viable cells of HUVEC was negligibly affected by cultivation with Pb at concentrations of 1-100 microM, but was slightly reduced by cultivation at 500 microM. Tube formation was studied by culturing the cells on a gelled basement membrane matrix (Matrigel). Treatment of HUVEC with 0.1-50.0 microM Pb for 24 h inhibited tube formation dose-dependently. The length of tube formation decreased time-dependently with 1.0 microM Pb. These findings suggest that Pb inhibits the formation of a capillary network by HUVEC, and that Pb could be injurious to endothelial cell function.