Hodogaya Chemical (Japan)

The prognosis of isolated headache intracranial vertebral artery dissection (iVAD) without subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) or stroke is unknown. The authors of this study aimed to evaluate isolated headache iVAD prognosis. This is a single-center retrospective study of consecutive patients who presented with headache as their main complaint and underwent MRI between November 2016 and August 2022; those with acute isolated headache iVAD who were followed up for vascular morphological stability were eligible for study inclusion. The patients were divided into three groups based on the vascular morphology at initial diagnosis: aneurysm dilatation without stenosis (group 1), aneurysm dilatation with stenosis (group 2), and no aneurysm dilatation (group 3). Prognosis, time to radiological stability, and final vascular morphology were compared among the groups. One hundred five patients with isolated headache iVAD were included in the study. During a median follow-up of 478 (IQR 143-1094) days, none of the patients developed SAH or stroke, but 3/41 (7%) patients in group 1 underwent endovascular intervention for aneurysm enlargement. Patients in group 1 required significantly more long-term follow-up for morphological stability (p = 0.013), primarily due to aneurysm enlargement (p < 0.001), and were more likely to require surgical intervention (p = 0.043) than those in the other two groups. Residual aneurysm risk was significantly associated with initial vascular morphology in group 1 (OR 7.28, 95% CI 2.30-23.1, p < 0.001). Most patients with isolated headache iVAD had a favorable prognosis. However, patients with aneurysm dilatation without stenosis required the most careful follow-up, as this group had the highest aneurysm enlargement risk from early disease onset through the chronic phase. In such cases, patients may require surgical intervention to prevent critical conditions.

BackgroundThe cosmopolitan genus Callitriche (Plantaginaceae) is a clade of small herbaceous plants that encompasses terrestrial and aquatic species. In Japan, six Callitriche species have been identified: four native and two naturalised species. Callitricheterrestris, a naturalised terrestrial species, was first reported in 1984 in Kanagawa Prefecture and it is thriving today.New informationWe report the presence of a new naturalised terrestrial species, Callitrichedeflexa, which has been previously misidentified as C.terrestris because of its similar morphology. Callitrichedeflexa can be distinguished from C.terrestris through genetic differences and distinct morphological traits, such as longer pedicels. Re-examination of herbarium specimens in the Kanagawa Prefectural Museum of Natural History confirmed that most of the specimens labelled as C.terrestris, including voucher specimens from the original report, were indeed C.terrestris, but a few were C.deflexa. We also noted that the plants referred to as “C.terrestris” in our previous developmental studies should be corrected to C.deflexa.

We have investigated activation annealing of the doped poly silicon film of LTPS TFT by using CW semiconductor blue light diode laser. It has been found that by full melting and re‐crystallization, the sheet resistance can be reduced significantly to 1/3 of which can be realized by using conventional RTA treatment. We will report the experiment results in the paper.

This paper describes a simple method for quantifying phthalates via the conversion of anhydrous phthalates to a dye. The phthalate was hydrolyzed with sodium hydroxide and dehydrated to form phthalic anhydride, which was converted to a marker, namely fluorescein, by reaction with resorcinol. Concentrated sulfuric acid was used as the catalyst. The presence of a phthalate was determined by absorbance spectrophotometry. The detection limit of this method for di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate was 0.1 μmol, and the relative standard deviation with respect to reproducibility was approximately 10% (n = 3). For other phthalates, namely diisobutyl phthalate, dibutyl phthalate, bis(butylbenzyl) phthalate, di-n-octyl phthalate, diisononyl phthalate, and diisodecyl phthalate, the absorbance deviation was less than 20%, which is within the acceptable range for screening purposes. Because the phthalates were hydrolyzed to enable colorimetric determination, the identification of individual phthalates is beyond the scope of this method. However, this simple colorimetric method can easily be used to determine the total amount of phthalates in real samples at the sub-micromolar level, by converting the phthalates to dyes. The applicability of this method was investigated by analyzing actual samples containing various phthalates. The quantitative results were almost the same as those obtained by using a conventional gas chromatographic method.

昨今，製紙を含む産業界は，廃水処理設備の老朽化及び廃水規制強化への対応を，継続的に事業展開を図っていくための喫緊の課題として求められており，廃水処理設備の処理能力を安定的に向上させることが必要とされている。対策実行の障壁となりうる設備改修費などの投下費用の増大をおさえる手法として，既存設備を生かし，従来のスポンジ担体と比較して高い機能を併せ持つPVA（ポリビニルアルコール）スポンジ担体を用いることが有効な手段と考えられる。

BackgroundAppropriate surgical management of moderate functional mitral regurgitation (MR) at the time of coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery remains controversial. A recent study demonstrated no survival benefit from adding mitral repair to CABG for patients with moderate functional MR. Preoperative prediction of reverse remodelling is crucial in making the decision to add mitral valve repair to CABG. Late gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (LGE MRI) offers a reference method to assess myocardial viability.Case summaryA 60-year-old man with ischaemic cardiomyopathy was admitted to our hospital with exacerbation of heart failure symptoms. Left ventricular (LV) dilatation, severe impairment of LV systolic function, and moderate MR due to tethering were noted on transthoracic echocardiography. The mitral regurgitant jet was central. Intravenous administration of furosemide and human atrial natriuretic peptide was initiated. The patient experienced an episode of ventricular tachycardia, and coronary angiography demonstrated triple-vessel disease. On LGE MRI, subendocardial infarction with a transmural extent of 25–50% was revealed in the inferior, posterior, and lateral walls. Findings from LGE MRI suggested that myocardial viability had been preserved. After performing CABG and cardiac resynchronization therapy, LV volume was substantially decreased and moderate MR was significantly improved without surgical mitral repair. On speckle tracking echocardiography before surgery, a significant difference in the times to peak radial strain between the lateral wall (462 ms) and inferior wall (17 ms) indicated the presence of LV dyssynchrony. Left ventricular dyssynchrony was substantially improved after CABG and cardiac resynchronization therapy defibrillator implantation.DiscussionIn patients with ischaemic cardiomyopathy and moderate functional MR, acquisition of LGE MRI of the LV should be considered to evaluate the viability of LV myocardium. Findings from LGE MRI of the LV can potentially influence the surgical strategy. In patients with preserved viability of LV myocardium, functional MR could be improved after CABG without any surgical repair.

A spiro-functionalized photochromic diarylethene derivative showed multi-colour fluorescence modulation with a photon-quantitative photocyclization reactivity and high thermal stability.

Ruthenium-catalyzed dimerization of 9-anthrylarylsilanes afforded air-stable V-shaped bisanthracenes bridged by a 7,8-disilabicyclo[3.3.0]octadiene moiety. The intra- and intermolecular proximity of the anthracene moieties were determined by single-crystal X-ray analysis. Absorption and emission maxima of the disilabicyclo[3.3.0]octadienyl-bridged bisanthracenes in the solution state were observed at longer wavelengths than those of 9-anthryldimethylsilane and bis(9-anthryl)dimethylsilane. The V-shaped bisacenes in the solid state showed excimer emissions with moderate quantum yields.

Surfactants are major ingredients of body soaps and cleansers, and such harsh ones have been demonstrated to damage the skin. Stratum corneum (SC), the outermost barrier of the skin layer, is rich in intercellular lipids. This lipid structure can be disrupted by surfactants, impairing the barrier function of the skin. Thus, we investigated the surfactant-induced disruption of the intercellular lipid structure of human SC at the molecular level using synchrotron X-ray diffraction. SC samples from the breast of female Caucasians were treated with sodium dodecyl sulphate (SDS) and analysed by small-angle and wide-angle X-ray diffraction. We found that an aqueous SDS solution affected the long lamellar structure, which became disorganized. The final disordered lipid state was reached through two or more types of structural change. We propose that the disordered lipid state results from incorporation of SDS into the long lamellar structure. In contrast, the lattice constants in the short lamellar and the hydrocarbon-chain packing structures remained almost unchanged after SDS treatment. We conclude that the disruption of the long lamellar structure plays a key role in the damage to the SC caused by detergents. To our knowledge, this is the first report to clarify the details of the disorganization of the intercellular lipid structure upon surfactant application. The knowledge obtained herein may allow the development of skin restoration methods and cleanser products that do not affect skin barrier functions.