‘Oketsu’ is a pathophysiologic concept in Japanese traditional (Kampo) medicine, primarily denoting blood stasis/stagnant syndrome. Here we have explored plasma protein biomarkers and/or diagnostic algorithms for ‘Oketsu’. Sixteen rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients were treated with keishibukuryogan (KBG), a representative Kampo medicine for improving ‘Oketsu’. Plasma samples were diagnosed as either having an ‘Oketsu’ (n = 19) or ‘non-Oketsu’ (n = 29) state according to Terasawa's ‘Oketsu’ scoring system. Protein profiles were obtained by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization time-of-flight mass spectrometry (SELDI-TOF MS) and hierarchical clustering and decision tree analyses were performed. KBG treatment for 4 or 12 weeks decreased the ‘Oketsu’ scores significantly. SELDI protein profiles gave 266 protein peaks, whose expression was significantly different between the ‘Oketsu’ and ‘non-Oketsu’ states. Hierarchical clustering gave three major clusters (I, II, III). The majority (68.4%) of ‘Oketsu’ samples were clustered into one cluster as the principal component of cluster I. The remaining ‘Oketsu’ profiles constituted a minor component of cluster II and were all derived from patients cured of the ‘Oketsu’ state at 12 weeks. Construction of the decision tree addressed the possibility of developing a diagnostic algorithm for ‘Oketsu’. A reduction in measurement/pre-processing conditions (from 55 to 16) gave a similar outcome in the clustering and decision tree analyses. The present study suggests that the pathophysiologic concept of Kampo medicine ‘Oketsu’ has a physical basis in terms of the profile of blood proteins. It may be possible to establish a set of objective criteria for diagnosing ‘Oketsu’ using a combination of proteomic and bioinformatics-based classification methods.
Assuming constant curvature of water profile and zero contact angle, the approximate adhesion forces by surface tension between a spherical particle or a conical point and a spherical or flat surface in several typical conditions have been geometrically analyzed and numerically calculated.The adhesion forces at the narrowest portion of the water pendular ring (film) are usually smaller than those at the contact line on the particle. Therefore, the former seems to be the real adhesion force between the two bodies. The obtained results may serve to explain the effect of surface configuration or liquid quantity on the adhesion force, and to verify various experimental phenomena.For example, if the two bodies are in contact with each other between the conical point and the spherical surface, the larger humidity in the surrounding atmosphere, the larger the adhesion force between them. On the other hand, if the two spherical surfaces are in contact, the larger the humidity, the smaller the force.Furthermore, the adhesion forces of the two separate bodies by water pendular ring have been calculated too. They are usually smaller than the adhesion forces of the two contact bodies, and the adhesion of the two bodies may be stable when they are in contact.
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