17 research outputs found
Supplying safe water in Bangladesh: A policy model based on multi-objective mixed integer programming
No full textAt present, about 80 million people in Bangladesh are at risk of losing their health and having a sharply reduced life expectancy as a result of exposure to excessive arsenic through drinking water from tube wells. In this article, we build a multi-objective mixed-integer optimisation model, which we can simulate. We identify efficient loci of the trade-off between the several competing objectives in order to provide safe water to the affected people. Three types of simulation cases are discussed. For each case, a different type of safe water was chosen as optimal. Copyright (c) 2007 the author(s). Journal compilation (c) 2007 RSAI.
Dynamical Studies on Laser Processes Induced by Short Pulse Lasers: From Nanoseconds to Milliseconds
No full textAbstractLaser processes induced by short pulse lasers are widely applied in industries and research fields. Details of these processes depend on the laser wavelength and pulse duration of lasers used, materials irradiated, irradiation conditions such like power density and repetition rate and other parameters. To elucidate the details of these processes, we have developed a technique, which is named as high-speed laser stroboscopic videography, to take fast videos to visualize these processes. By combining a newly developed high-speed video cameras and high-repetition rate short pulse lasers, the technique allows us to take videos as fast as 1μs interval in several recording modes, and gives unique information on several laser processes. In this paper we presents some examples of such studies on laser peening, dynamics of laser-induced bubbles in liquids, and micromachining on hard and brittle materials by a femtosecond laser
Endobronchial involvement of mantle cell lymphoma: A case report
No full textAbstractMantle cell lymphoma (MCL) is a subtype of B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Most cases of MCL have extranodal involvement at the time of the initial diagnosis; however, endobronchial involvement is rare. An 87-year-old man was referred to our hospital because of dyspnea on exertion. A chest CT revealed diffuse irregular wall thickening of the trachea and bilateral bronchi. A bronchoscopy revealed a diffuse irregular surface of the tracheal and bilateral bronchial mucosa and polyposis-like lesions. He was diagnosed as having MCL based on an endobronchial biopsy, and the diagnosis was confirmed using immunohistochemical staining
Combined resection of aberrant right hepatic artery without anastomosis in panceaticoduodenectomy for pancreatic head cancer: A case report
No full textAbstractIntroductionThis case report is intended to inform pancreas surgeons of our experience in operative management of aberrant pancreatic artery.Presentation of caseA 63-year-old woman was admitted to our institute’s Department of Surgery with obstructive jaundice, and the pancreas head tumor was found. To improve liver dysfunction, an endoscopic retrograde nasogastric biliary drainage tube was placed in the bile duct. Endoscopic fine-needle aspiration showed a pancreas head carcinoma invading the common bile duct, the aberrant right hepatic artery arising from the superior mesenteric artery, and the portal vein. Enhanced computed tomography showed the communicating artery between the right and left hepatic artery via the hepatic hilar plate. By way of imaging preoperative examination, a pancreaticoduodenectomy combined resection of the aberrant right hepatic artery and portal vein was conducted without arterial anastomosis. Hepatic arterial flow was confirmed by intraoperative Doppler ultrasonography, and R0 resection without tumor exposure at the dissected plane was achieved. The patient’s postoperative course was uneventful.DiscussionIn this case report, perioperative detail examination by imaging diagnosis with respect to hepatic arterial communication to achieve curative resection in a pancreas head cancer was necessary. Non-anastomosis of hepatic artery was achieved, and the necessity of R0 resection was stressed by such management.ConclusionBy the preoperative and intraoperative imaging managements conducted, combined resection of the aberrant right hepatic artery without anastomosis was achieved by pancreaticoduodenectomy for pancreas head cancer. However, improvements in imaging diagnosis and careful management of R0 resection are important
慢性期末梢前庭障害に対する前庭リハビリテーションの身体活動量と主観的なめまい感に対する効果：6カ月間のランダム化比較試験
No full textIntroduction: The present study aimed to determine whether supervised vestibular
rehabilitation therapy (VRT) by physical therapists (PTs) affects subjective dizziness in
patients with chronic vestibular disorders, and whether supervised VRT-induced changes
in subjective dizziness are related to the changes in physical activity levels in daily life.
Methods: Patients (n = 47) with chronic peripheral vestibular disorders were randomly
divided into the VRT group (n = 25) and control group (n = 22). Patients in the VRT group
received weekly supervised visits from PTs for a period of 6 months. Every other month,
both groups were advised by neuro-otologists to increase the amount of activity in their
daily life. All patients wore an accelerometer device, which recorded their physical activity
for seven successive days before the end of the intervention. Patients also completed
the dizziness and unsteadiness questionnaires before and after the intervention.
Results: Subjective dizziness decreased significantly regardless of whether supervised
VRT was administered; however, dizziness evoked by social activity and head and body
movements improved more significantly in the VRT group than in the control group. In the
VRT group, there was a significant negative correlation between the increase in sedentary
behavior and improvement in subjective dizziness, and a significant positive correlation
between the increase in light physical activity and improvement in subjective dizziness at
the second month of intervention. The VRT group showed a significantly higher rate of
increase in light physical activity than the control group, after 6 months of intervention.
Conclusion: Supervised VRT could be highly effective in treating subjective dizziness
in patients with chronic peripheral vestibular disorders. We believe frequent (weekly) and
medium-term (6 months) PT-guided interventions may be highly effective in enhancing
physical activity in daily life, and may subsequently improve subjective dizziness in
these patients.
Trial registration: This clinical study was registered with University hospital Medical
Information Network (identification number: 000028832). https://www.umin.ac.jp/博士（医学）・甲第878号・令和5年3月15日© 2021 Shiozaki, Ito, Wada, Yamanaka and Kitahara.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms
Effects of Vestibular Rehabilitation on Physical Activity and Subjective Dizziness in Patients With Chronic Peripheral Vestibular Disorders: A Six-Month Randomized Trial
No full textIntroduction: The present study aimed to determine whether supervised vestibular
rehabilitation therapy (VRT) by physical therapists (PTs) affects subjective dizziness in
patients with chronic vestibular disorders, and whether supervised VRT-induced changes
in subjective dizziness are related to the changes in physical activity levels in daily life.
Methods: Patients (n = 47) with chronic peripheral vestibular disorders were randomly
divided into the VRT group (n = 25) and control group (n = 22). Patients in the VRT group
received weekly supervised visits from PTs for a period of 6 months. Every other month,
both groups were advised by neuro-otologists to increase the amount of activity in their
daily life. All patients wore an accelerometer device, which recorded their physical activity
for seven successive days before the end of the intervention. Patients also completed
the dizziness and unsteadiness questionnaires before and after the intervention.
Results: Subjective dizziness decreased significantly regardless of whether supervised
VRT was administered; however, dizziness evoked by social activity and head and body
movements improved more significantly in the VRT group than in the control group. In the
VRT group, there was a significant negative correlation between the increase in sedentary
behavior and improvement in subjective dizziness, and a significant positive correlation
between the increase in light physical activity and improvement in subjective dizziness at
the second month of intervention. The VRT group showed a significantly higher rate of
increase in light physical activity than the control group, after 6 months of intervention.
Conclusion: Supervised VRT could be highly effective in treating subjective dizziness
in patients with chronic peripheral vestibular disorders. We believe frequent (weekly) and
medium-term (6 months) PT-guided interventions may be highly effective in enhancing
physical activity in daily life, and may subsequently improve subjective dizziness in
these patients.
Trial registration: This clinical study was registered with University hospital Medical
Information Network (identification number: 000028832). https://www.umin.ac.jp/博士（医学）・甲第878号・令和5年3月15日© 2021 Shiozaki, Ito, Wada, Yamanaka and Kitahara.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.identifier:Frontiers in neurology Vol.12 Article No.656157 (2021 Apr)identifier:16642295identifier:http://ginmu.naramed-u.ac.jp/dspace/handle/10564/4110identifier:Frontiers in neurology, 12: Article No.65615
Folate receptor targeted PDT in lung cancer
No full textObjective: Despite modest improvements, the prognosis of lung cancer patients has still remained poor and new treatment are urgently needed. Photodynamic therapy (PDT), the use of light-activated compounds (photosensitizers) is a treatment option but its use has been restricted to central airway lesions. Here, we report the use of novel porphyrin-lipid nanoparticles (porphysomes) targeted to folate receptor 1 (FOLR1) to enhance the efficacy and specificity of PDT that may translate into a minimally-invasive intervention for peripheral lung cancer and metastatic lymph nodes of advanced lung cancer. Materials and methods: The frequency of FOLR1 expression in primary lung cancer and metastatic lymph nodes was first analyzed by human tissue samples from surgery and endobronchial ultrasonography-guided transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA). Confocal fluorescence microscopy was then used to confirm the cellular uptake and fluorescence activation in lung cancer cells, and the photocytotoxicity was evaluated using a cell viability assay. In vivo fluorescence activation and quantification of uptake were investigated in mouse lung orthotopic tumor models, followed by the evaluation of in vivo PDT efficacy. Results: FOLR1 was highly expressed in metastatic lymph node samples from patients with advanced lung cancer and was mainly expressed in lung adenocarcinomas in primary lung cancer. Expression of FOLR1 in lung cancer cell lines corresponded with the intracellular uptake of folate-porphysomes in vitro. When irradiated with a 671 nm laser at a dose of 10 J/cm2, folate-porphysomes showed marked therapeutic efficacy compared with untargeted porphysomes (28% vs. 83% and 24% vs. 99% cell viability in A549 and SBC5 lung cancer cells, respectively). Systemically-administered folate-porphysomes accumulated in lung tumors with significantly enhanced disease-to-normal tissue contrast. Folate-porphysomes mediated PDT successfully inhibited tumor cell proliferation and activated tumor cell apoptosis. Conclusion: Folate-porphysome based PDT shows promise in selectively ablating lung cancer based on FOLR1 expression in these preclinical models
Simulation of the spectroscopic, thermodynamic and energetic properties of nanoconfined molecules
No full textgráficas, ilustraciones, tablasEl desarrollo de modelos y metodologías destinadas a entender las peculiaridades de ciertas estructuras moleculares confinantes, como clatratos, endofullerenos y nanogotas, tiene consecuencias directas en el campo de las ciencias moleculares. Estos sistemas constituyen 'nanolaboratorios' extraordinarios en los que las moléculas encapsuladas se comportan como rotores cuánticos, y en donde los niveles traslacionales y rotacionales se encuentran mezclados por el confinamiento, generando una rica estructura de niveles energéticos. Además, estos complejos han sido teorizados como materiales promisorios, con aplicaciones en el almacenamiento de energía, secuestro de gases de efecto invernadero, computación cuántica, etc. Sin embargo, el costo computacional prohibitivo que implican los cálculos teóricos ha derivado en simplificaciones de la dimensionalidad de los sistemas, o en el empleo de tratamientos clásicos que son incapaces de explotar la riqueza de los efectos cuánticos inherentes. En este trabajo se presenta la metodologı́a desarrollada en nuestro grupo para tratar moléculas triatómicas nanoconfinadas a través del método computacional Multi Configuration Time Dependent Hartree (MCTDH), con el fin de incluir cálculos de alta precisión de los niveles vibracionales y traslacionales de las moléculas enclaustradas. Se estudió la estructura de niveles energéticos de los fullerenos endohedrales H2O@C60 y H2O@C70 como casos particulares, y se exploraron dos modelos teóricos plausibles para explicar la ruptura de simetría observada en el primer sistema. Como una consecuencia directa de lo anterior, se realizó un estudio de estructura electrónica para el complejo H2O@C60, considerando la interacción de la molécula encapsulada con las estructuras de carbono básicas que constituyen al fullereno, con el objeto de obtener una descripción razonablemente precisa de la superficie de energía potencial (PES) intermolecular que incluya las interacciones entre muchos cuerpos a partir de técnicas DFT/DFT-D. Finalmente, se presenta un modelo termodinámico para el sistema H2O@C60, que reproduce algunas de las características inusuales que se observan en la concentración de isómeros de espín ortho y para del H2O a bajas temperaturas. (Texto tomado de la fuente)The development of models and methodologies aiming to understand the features of certain confining molecular structures, as clathrates, fullerenes and nanodroplets, has direct consequences on the fields of the fundamental and applied physics, as such systems constitutes astonishing 'nanolaboratories', where encapsulated molecules behave as quantum rotors. The translational and rotational levels are mixed due to the confinement, giving rise to a rich energetic level structure. Also, these compounds has been proposed as promising materials with applications in energy storage, greenhouse gases capture, quantum computation, etc. Nonetheless, until recently the rather high computational cost of the quantum simulations has limited the theoretical efforts to reduced dimensional simplifications, or classical treatments, that were not able to explore properly the richness of the inherent quantum effects. In this work we present the methodology developed in our group to treat triatomic nanoconfined molecules through the Multi Configuration Time Dependent Hartree (MCTDH) framework. In this way, we performed "exact" full-dimensional quantum calculations, coupling all degrees of freedom, and accurate values on vibrational, rotational and translational states of the trapped molecule were reported. In particular, the energetics and levels structure of the H2O@C60 and H2O@C70 endohedral fullerenes were investigated, and two plausible theoretical physical models to explain the observed symmetry breaking in the former system were proposed and explored. As a direct consequence, a quantum chemistry electronic structure study of the H2O@C60 was performed. Given the size of the system, we first considered the encapsulated molecule’s interaction with the fundamental unit structures, such as C5 and C6 from the C60 cavity, with the purpose to assess the performance of different DFT/DFT-D approaches in describing the underlying many-body intermolecular potential energy surface (PES). Finally, a thermodynamic model for the H2O@C60 system was developed, which can reproduce some of the unusual features observed in the ortho and para H2O spin isomers' concentration at low temperatures.DoctoradoDoctor en Ciencias - FísicaFísica molecularQuímica computaciona
Characterization of functionalized calcium carbonate as a new pharmaceutical excipient
No full textExcipients are indispensable functional components, which are used to develop innovative, robust,
and reproducible formulations with good patient compliance due to optimized plasma concentrations
and less side effects. Nowadays, new excipients have to show a multifunctionality in order to
be used for unique applications that are not feasible with existing excipients. This multifunctionality
can be achieved by co-processing excipients, where undesirable properties of an excipient are
masked, favorable attributes are retained, and new properties supplement the substance.
The main aim of this thesis was to map the applicability of such a co-processed novel excipient,
FCC, in the field of pharmaceutical technology.
The results of the mechanistic study showed that the attributes of FCC present a striking success
in the field of excipient research. FCC-based tablet formulations had mechanical properties equal
or superior to those of conventionally used excipients such as microcrystalline cellulose (MCC),
mannitol, or calcium carbonate. FCC tablets with high tensile strength and high porosity were
obtained already at low compressive pressures. The key factor for the outstanding performance
of FCC was the lamellar structure of the particle, which formed a porous meshwork (intraparticle
porosity), resulting in a high specific surface area available for particle bonding.
The limitations of poor flowability and high bulk density of FCC powder during direct compression
were overcome by granulation. FCC granules prepared by roller compaction showed excellent
flowability and reduced bulk volume, whereas all the outstanding properties of the powder, such as
compactability and compressibility, were preserved. The dry granulation process converted FCC
into a suitable form for scale-up processes on high-throughput tablet presses. Roller compaction is
the process of choice if porosity and high surface area of FCC particles have to be preserved during
granulation process.
On the examplary model of direct compressed ODTs, the applicability of FCC was investigated.
ODTs containing FCC were produced by direct compression. Owing to the lamellar structure, FCC
was able to overcome the limitation of insufficient hardness during the production of highly porous
ODTs. These findings could revolutionize the production of ODTs and hence open up new vistas.
To protect the valuable findings, a patent was applied for the production of ODTs made of FCC.
The characterization of co-processed FCC revealed a promising new pharmaceutical excipient with a
broad range of applicability. Applicability of FCC seems to be of particular interest for formulations
that are characterized by high porosity, high tensile strength, or both. This is the case, amongst
others, for ODTs, carriers, adsorbents, floating tablets, effervescent tablets, controlled-released
formulations, ultra hard tablet (UHT), and cushioning agents
Title Haplotypes and a novel defective allele of CES2 found in a Japanese population Running Title a) Running Title Haplotypes and novel variants of human CES2 b) Corresponding author
No full textAbstract 190 Introduction 58
