Thirty-two neonates weighing 500-1500 g with documented surfactant deficiency and without evidence of severe birth asphyxia, infection, prolonged rupture of membranes greater than or equal to 72 h, or oligohydramnios were randomly assigned to receive a single intratracheal dose of surfactant-TA (100 mg/kg) either within 30 min of birth (n = 16, early group) or at 6 h of age (n = 16, late group). By 6 h of age, all neonates of the late group had moderate/severe RDS, while none of the neonates of the early group had either clinical or radiological respiratory distress syndrome. The incidence of bronchopulmonary dysplasia was significantly lower in survivors of the early group than those of the late group (1/15 versus 7/14, a 43% reduction with a 95% confidence interval of 14-72%, P = 0.025). These beneficial effects of early surfactant treatment remained after controlling for the various confounding factors in the logistic models.

Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Improved reliability of repetitive RF interstitial heating in combination with brachytherapy: the effective use of water.

Interstitial heating and brachytherapy are often combined in the treatment of cancer. In such instances, a needle-type internal electrode is inserted into the RALS (remotely controlled afterloading system) catheter instead of a radioactive source. A problem with this approach, however, is that the temperature distribution pattern generated by the inserted electrode varies at any given target region in each heating treatment, which makes it difficult to accurately replicate the heating treatment protocol. This variation is suspected to be caused by non-uniformity in the small gap between the internal electrode and the inner surface of the surrounding catheter, causing electric currents to flow between the electrode and the heating material, which differs from procedure to procedure. To solve this problem, the gap was filled with water of high permittivity, and the temperature distribution was investigated using phantoms. With this method, a stable and reproducible temperature rise distribution was obtained in the phantom experiment.

Brachytherapy↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Elevated pancreatic glucagon in moderately obese patients: relationship of fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia.

To elucidate if the presence of fatty liver and hypertriglyceridemia (HTG) influences pancreatic A-cell function in obesity, basal and arginine-stimulated glucagon (IRG) secretions were studied in 7 normal subjects and in 28 moderately obese patients (OB) with normal glucose tolerance. The patients were divided into 4 groups, based on the presence of fatty liver and/or HTG. BMI was similar in all four obese groups. Basal IRG, as well as the sum of secretory response to arginine, namely sigma IRG values, were significantly (p less than 0.01) higher in the OB subgroup having both fatty liver and HTG than in the other three groups; these values were similar in subgroups of OB without fatty liver, and showed no significant difference from the normals. Basal and sigma IRG values in all OB correlated well with the degree of fatty liver and HTG, demonstrating that by stepwise analysis the effects of fatty liver and HTG were independent for basal and sigma IRG values. These results suggest that the combination of fatty liver and HTG may serve as a good predictor of hyperglucagonemia in simple obesity, and, hence, metabolic heterogeneity among obese patients should be considered in evaluating A-cell function.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Development of inductive heating equipment using an inductive aperture-type applicator.

We designed an inductive aperture-type applicator, IATA, consisting of a one-turn, square, column-like coil made of a metal strip. In experiments using a phantom, this applicator was seen to have the following characteristics: (1) it does not excessively heat the fat layer; (2) deep portions can be heated effectively; (3) heat can be applied to the subject, without contact with the applicator; (4) excessive generation of heat does not occur in parts of tissue near the edge of the aperture; (5) size of the aperture can be changed for adaptation to size of the site to be heated; (6) the aperture can be modified to fit the shape of the subject and the depth of penetration is influenced by size of the subject being heated; (7) the applicator can be driven at an arbitrary frequency; (8) efficiency of heat generation to the input power is low. The inductive heating equipment, 'Inductron', which we have developed possesses the necessary requirements for adequate clinical application.

Adipose Tissue↗

PubMedDate not supplied

A new applicator utilizing distributed electrodes for hyperthermia: a theoretical approach.

We propose a new type of applicator for hyperthermia namely a Distributed Electrodes Applicator. Many electrodes are fixed on boli below which the patient is placed. A set of RF with optimized amplitudes and phases is supplied to the electrodes so as to minimize the ratio of SAR (specific absorption rate) in the fat layers to that in the central region of the patient. SAR patterns in a heated material were calculated using two-dimensional finite element method, and the results showed that the proposed applicator can heat the deep portions of the patient without excessive heating of the fat layers.

Electrodes↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Carcinoid tumor of the ileum with intestinal obstruction.

An 83 year-old female presenting with intestinal obstruction due to a carcinoid tumor of the small intestine is herein reported. The intra-operative findings revealed a stenotic lesion and ischemic changes of the ileum. A segmental jejunotomy was performed and a submucosal tumor was recognized as a causal lesion. Histopathological investigation demonstrated the features of carcinoid tumor.

Aged↗

PubMedDate not supplied

The influence of blood contamination on bond strengths between dentin and an adhesive resin cement.

The objective of this study was to determine in which step of adherent surface treatments blood contamination affects the bond strength between an adhesive resin and dentin. The coronal part of bovine incisors was polished flat to expose the dentin. The specimens were randomly divided into three groups and specific surface treatments were applied to each group: (1) a self-etching primer application (SP group); (2) 38% phosphoric acid etching followed by primer (non-HC group); (3) acid etching followed by 10% sodium hypochlorite solution application and primer (HC group). The dentin surface was contaminated by human blood before or after either step of the surface treatments. The contaminated surfaces were washed with water after 30-second exposure and air-dried. A stainless-steel rod was adhered on the dentin surface with Panavia 21 after completing the surface treatment(s), and the tensile bond strength was measured. Fifteen subgroups including control groups were tested. If blood contamination occurred before collagen fibers were exposed by either phosphoric acid etching or self-etching primer application, the contamination presented almost no influence on bond strength. Blood contamination of the dentin surface where collagen fibers had been exposed decreased the bond strength. However, when the contaminated collagen fibers were dissolved or when the contamination occurred after the exposed collagen fibers were dissolved, the bond strength was maintained. The bond strength was markedly decreased when the contamination occurred after the primer application (Scheffé's Comparison, SP group: p = 0.0003, non-HC group: p < 0.0001), but was restored by reapplication of the self-etching primer. This study revealed that the effects of blood contamination on the bond strength of adhesive resin to dentin vary greatly depending on the adherent surface conditions.

Acid Etching, Dental↗