Short-type DBE combined with several technical innovations enabled us to perform ERCP in most patients with altered gastrointestinal anatomy.

The major mechanisms of gas permeation through solid membranes are described and the applicable equations describing the permeance are presented. The mechanisms depend on the relative size of the permeating molecules and the diameter of the pores. As pore size decreases the operable mechanisms are Hagen-Pouiselle flow, Knudsen diffusion, surface diffusion, gas-translation, and finally solid-state diffusion. The Hagen-Pouiselle mechanism involves flow through large pores, while the Knudsen mechanism involves collision of molecules with the walls of pores of intermediate size. Surface diffusion deals with movement of molecules trapped in the potential field of the walls of pores of relatively small size, while gas-translation involves molecules that can escape the field, but are constrained by the small pores. Finally, solid-state transport comprises dissolution and transport by diffusion within the solid. These mechanisms are illustrated for hydrogen permeance with the use of two membranes, an alumina membrane with intermediate sized pores and a silica on alumina membrane of dense structure. KeywordsPermeation mechanism, Inorganic membrane, Silica membrane, Solid-state diffusion, Glassy membranes mechanism, Hydrogen However, oftentimes the actual selectivity can deviate strongly from that defined above because of interactions between the species with each other or with the walls of the membranes. For example, the preferred adsorption or absorption of one species in the pores of a membrane can block the passage of other species. Thus, single-gas selectivities should be taken as a limiting case approximation.A fundamental expression for transport in membranes is derived from Fick's First Law, which relates the flux of species i to the concentration gradient. The gradient in turn can be related to the concentration in the inlet, cio and outlet, ciL, of a membrane of thickness L:The diffusivity in Fick's first law is the ordinary molecular diffusivity, Di(c) [m 2 ・s-1 ], which may have a concentration dependence. In the case of membranes an effective diffusivity, De,i is used, where the porosity ε and tortuosity τ of the membrane are included. The tortuosity is a factor that accounts for the increased length of a pore by the presence of twists and turns. For example, if a single straight pore is replaced by one having a single 90° turn, the tortuosity would be 2 or 1.4. In an early treatment the relative diameters of the diffusing molecules, dm, and pores, dP, was taken into account through a restrictive factor KrFor many membranes dm/dp is small, so Kr is unity. There have been many proposed mechanisms with a variety of materials based on various interaction and diffusion processes. These mechanisms are in broad terms distinguished by the ratio of pore diameter dp to kinetic diameter dm of the gas molecule. As the pore diameter becomes smaller, that is with increasing value of dm/dp, the interactions between the molecule and the surface become larger in proportion to the ratio of the area of the surface potential fi...

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Microstructure of porous anodized films of aluminium prepared in sulphuric acid solution are different from those prepared in an oxalic or phosphoric acid solution. Transmission electron microscopy reveals a multilayer or higher order structure in the former films. Infrared spectra and specific surface area were also studied for these films and new functional properties of the films suitable for new materials were found. In contrast to the fibrous colloidal structure in the cells and barrier layer in the conventional films anodized in a sulphuric acid solution at d.c. 1 5 V, a network structure is formed in the cells and barrier layer in the hard films prepared at higher voltage of d.c. 25 V. The microstructure changes according to the anodizing conditions. A new model for these sulphuric acid films is presented, i.e. the cell walls are constructed from five layers and the fracture of the films occurs at the centre of the cell walls. Centre barrier layer (4 to 6nm in thickness) composed of aluminium oxide of high crystallinity was found in a barrier layer at the bottom of the pore, and the thickness is independent on the applied voltage of the anodizing. Increase in thickness of the barrier layer due to applied voltage is governed by that of the outer barrier layer.

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The proprotein convertases (PCs) act as serine proteases and are known to convert diverse precursor proteins into their active forms. Among the PCs, furin has been considered to play a crucial role not only in embryogenesis, but also in the initiation and progression of certain pathologic conditions. However, the roles played by furin with respect to neuronal cell injuries remain to be determined. An excessive influx of Ca2+ through the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor has been associated with diverse neurological and neurodegenerative disorders. The aim of this study was to achieve further insight into the pathophysiologic roles of furin in cultured cortical neurons. We demonstrated that furin inhibitors dose-dependently prevented neuronal injury induced by NMDA treatment. Neuronal injury induced by NMDA treatment was attenuated by the calpain inhibitor calpeptin. And the increase observed in the activity of calpain after NMDA treatment was significantly inhibited by these furin inhibitors. Furthermore, calpain-2 activity, which was evaluated by means of the immunoblotting assay, was increased by NMDA treatment. It was noteworthy that this increased activity was almost completely inhibited by a furin inhibitor. Our findings suggested that furin is involved in NMDA-induced neuronal injury by acting upstream of calpain.

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Although the suction force that moves blood into the left ventricle during early diastole is thought to play an important role in diastolic function, there have been a few studies of this phenomenon in normal children. Suction force is measured as the intraventricular pressure difference (IVPD) and intraventricular pressure gradient (IVPG), which is calculated as IVPD divided by left ventricular length. The purpose of this study was to determine the suction force in infants, children, and adolescents using IVPD and IVPG. We included 120 normal children categorized into five groups based on age: G1 (0-2 years), G2 (3-5 years), G3 (6-8 years), G4 (9-11 years), and G5 (12-16 years). The total, basal, and mid-apical IVPD and IVPG were calculated using color M-mode Doppler imaging of the mitral valve inflow using the Euler equation. The total IVPD increased with age from G1 to G5 (1.75 + 0.51 vs. 2.95 + 0.72 mmHg, respectively; p < 0.001), due to an increase in mid-apical IVPD with constant basal IVPD. Although total IVPG was constant, mid-apical IVPG was larger in G5 than in G1 (0.21 + 0.06 vs. 0.16 + 0.07 mmHg/cm, respectively; p = 0.006). Total, basal, and mid-apical IVPDs were significantly correlated with age and the parameters of heart size and mitral annular e'. Mid-apical IVPG correlated with age and e' positively, but basal IVPG did with age negatively and did not with e'. The suction force increased at the mid-apical segment, correlating with increasing heart size and developing left ventricular relaxation, even after adjustment for left ventricular length.