The recent development of the recombinant humanized monoclonal antibody against HER‐2 oncoprotein requires a simple and accurate method for the evaluation of HER‐2 status in patients with breast cancers. We here report that the evaluation of the HER‐2 status is improved by the use of the acetone‐methanol‐xylene (AMeX) method. Compared with an ordinary test of HercepTest, 25 out of 63 cases (39.7%) were scored upwards by the AMeX method. In addition, the HER‐2 gene amplification was easily estimated by fluorescence in situ hybridization (FISH) using the AMeX method. Thus, the AMeX method is likely to provide more improved data about the HER‐2 status in breast carcinoma specimens.
The purpose of this study is to develop a household location and transportation behavior integrated model based on stochastic user equilibrium and describe its theoretical framework. The model can estimate commuter's private trip on workday, non-worker's shopping trip, household location demand by house types, and land price endogenously.
Designs that have been stored in early days are often used as a reference when textile designs are created. To effectively use these resources, an well-organized design database must be constructed and a useful searching method must be studied. As to design searching method, searching methods that deal with human subjective information is requested. As a technique for these searching methods, one method to characterize visual feature of textile designs is proposed. In this study, a correspondence was examined between the subjectivity like “strong impact” for textile designs and spatial frequencies that are objective visual features for them. In this examination, genetic algorithm was introduced in order to increase the efficiency of processing time.It was presumed that the subjective impressions of “strong impact” were related to lower components of spatial frequencies of textile design images. In this result, the textile designs that impress human when human compare designs are similar to the textile designs that are made up of lower spatial frequency components. As to design searches from subjective impressions of “strong impact, ” lower spatial frequency components that are objective visual features are available for one of subjective searching item.
Abstract Here, we investigate whether ethanol (EtOH) and nicotine (Nic) alone or in co-exposure can restore the 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced depletion of dopamine (DA), DA metabolites, and tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in the striatum and hippocampus of C57BL/6N mice. MPTP-treated mice were treated intraperitoneally with saline (control), EtOH (1.0–3.0 g/kg), Nic (0.5–2.0 mg/kg), or a combination of EtOH and Nic. Brain samples were collected 1 h after treatment. DA and its metabolites 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT), and homovanillic acid (HVA) were measured by HPLC-ECD, while TH expression and Ser31 phosphorylation were quantified by Western blot. EtOH (2.0 and 3.0 g/kg) alone reversed the effects of MPTP treatment in both studied brain regions, as evidenced by an increase in DA, DOPAC, and HVA contents, TH expression, and its phosphorylation at Ser31 compared to the MPTP group, indicating restorative effects on DA neurons in the MPTP model. Likewise, Nic (1.0 and 2.0 mg/kg) alone reversed MPTP treatment effects, with treated mice showing increased DA, DOPAC, and HVA contents, TH expression, and Ser31 phosphorylation compared to MPTP mice. Co-administration of EtOH (2.0 g/kg) and Nic (1.0 mg/kg) further increased DA, DOPAC and HVA tissue contents, TH expression, and Ser31, indicating an additive effect. These results show that moderate to high doses of EtOH and Nic induce similar increases in brain DA and TH via TH phosphorylation activation in MPTP model mice. EtOH and Nic showed an additive effect in combination, suggesting that their co-application could be a potent therapeutic strategy for treating PD.
Perinatal hypoxic-ischemic brain injury of neonates remains a significant problem worldwide. During the resuscitation period, changes in cerebral hemoglobin oxygen saturation (ScO2) have been identified by near-infrared spectroscopy (NIRS). However, in asphyxiated neonates, the relationship between these changes and brain injury is not known. Three-wavelength near-infrared time-resolved spectroscopy, an advanced technology for NIRS, allows for the estimation of ScO2 and cerebral blood volume (CBV). Here, we studied changes in ScO2 and CBV during the resuscitation period after hypoxic-ischemic insult and the relationship between these changes after insult and histopathological brain injuries on day 5 after insult using an asphyxiated piglet model. Of 36 newborn piglets subjected to hypoxic-ischemic insult, 29 were analyzed. ScO2 and CBV were measured 0, 5, 10, 15, and 30 min after the insult. Brain tissue was histologically evaluated on day 5. ScO2 and CBV increased immediately after the insult, reached a peak, and then maintained a consistent value. The increase in CBV 5 to 30 min after the insult was significantly correlated with histopathological injury scores. However, there was no correlation with ScO2. In conclusion, an increase in CBV within 30 min after hypoxic-ischemic insult reflects the histopathological brain injury on day 5 after insult in a piglet model.
