No abstract

SUMMARY:Macrophage migration inhibitory factor (MIF) was the first lymphokine identified in activated T-lymphocytes. MIF can induce proinflammatory cytokines, such as interleukin-1 and tumor necrosis factor-(~. In this study, we identified MIF expression in a tissue specimen of a normal portion of a nephrectomized human kidney by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and Westem blot analysis. Furthermore, immunohistochemical study using an anti-human MIF polyclonal antibody demonstrated that MIF was mostly present in the renal tubule epithelial cells and, to a lesser extent, in Bowman's capsular epithelial cells. We also carried out immunohistochemistry on cultured human renal proximal tubule epithelial cells, which showed that MIF was present in the cytoplasm of the epithelial cells. These results suggest the possibility that MIF takes part in the mechanism of inflammation and immunological events in the human kidney:

In order to enhance the adhesion strength of copper metal lm to a polyimide (PI) lm substrate, a method combining surface microroughness formation and imide ring cleavage was investigated. The results showed that imide rings were cleaved with a KOH treatment while carboxyl and amide groups were formed on the surface of the PI lm. The surface micro-roughness did not change with the KOH treatment, and the adhesion strength of the copper metal lm to the PI lm was slightly improved to 30 g/ mm, which could be attributed to the interaction of both carboxyl and amide groups with the copper atoms. When the PI lms were successively treated with an alkaline permanganate and a KOH solution, many recesses were formed on the surface in an alkaline Z. Wang et al.permanganate solution, and the size and depth of the recesses increased with alkaline permanganate treatment time. The results of the AFM measurements showed that the average roughness .R/ increased from 3.54 to 10.23 nm after combined treatment with alkaline permanganate and KOH solutions. The adhesion strength of the copper metal lm to the PI lm reached 150 g/ mm, which was ve times greater than that achieved with the KOH treatment only.

The purpose of the present study was to clarify the effect of static stretching on muscular performance during concentric isotonic (dynamic constant external resistance: DCER) muscle actions under various loads. Concentric DCER leg extension power outputs were assessed in twelve healthy male subjects after two types of pre-treatment. The pre-treatments included 1) static stretching treatment performing six types of static stretching on leg extensors (4 sets of 30-sec each with 20-sec rest periods; total duration: 20-min) and 2) non-stretching treatment by resting for 20 minutes in a sitting position.Loads during assessment of the power output were set to 5%, 30% and 60% of the maximum voluntary contractile (MVC) torque with isometric leg extension in each subject. 478.6 ± 77.5 W vs. 523.8 ± 97.8 W). The present study demonstrated that relatively extensive static stretching significantly reduces power output with concentric DCER muscle actions under various loads. Common power activities are carried out by DCER muscle actions under various loads. Therefore, the result of the present study suggests that relatively extensive static stretching decreases power performance.

The clinical effectiveness of four neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) (oseltamivir, zanamivir, laninamivir, and peramivir) for children aged 0 months to 18 years with influenza A and B were investigated in the 2014-2015 to 2016-2017 influenza seasons in Japan. A total of 1207 patients (747 with influenza A and 460 with influenza B) were enrolled. The Cox proportional-hazards model using all of the patients showed that the duration of fever after administration of the first dose of the NAI was shorter in older patients (hazard ratio = 1.06 per 1 year of age, p< 0.001) and that the duration of fever after administration of the first dose of the NAI was shorter in patients with influenza A infection than in patients with influenza B infection (hazard ratio = 2.21, p < 0.001). A logistic regression model showed that the number of biphasic fever episodes was 2.99-times greater for influenza B-infected patients than for influenza A-infected patients (p < 0.001). The number of biphasic fever episodes in influenza A- or B-infected patients aged 0-4 years was 2.89-times greater than that in patients aged 10-18 years (p = 0.010), and the number of episodes in influenza A- or B-infected patients aged 5-9 years was 2.13-times greater than that in patients aged 10-18 years (p = 0.012).