Meniere's disease, a common inner ear condition, has an incidence of 15–50 per 100,000. Because mental/physical stress and subsequent increase in the stress hormone vasopressin supposedly trigger Meniere's disease, we set a pilot study to seek new therapeutic interventions, namely management of vasopressin secretion, to treat this disease. We enrolled 297 definite Meniere's patients from 2010 to 2012 in a randomized-controlled and open-label trial, assigning Group-I (control) traditional oral medication, Group-II abundant water intake, Group-III tympanic ventilation tubes and Group-IV sleeping in darkness. Two hundred sixty-three patients completed the planned 2-year-follow-up, which included assessment of vertigo, hearing, plasma vasopressin concentrations and changes in stress/psychological factors. At 2 years, vertigo was completely controlled in 54.3% of patients in Group-I, 81.4% in Group-II, 84.1% in Group-III, and 80.0% in Group-IV (statistically I < II = III = IV). Hearing was improved in 7.1% of patients in Group-I, 35.7% in Group-II, 34.9% in Group-III, and 31.7% in Group-IV (statistically I < II = III = IV). Plasma vasopressin concentrations decreased more in Groups-II, -III, and -IV than in Groups-I (statistically I < II = III = IV), although patients’ stress/psychological factors had not changed. Physicians have focused on stress management for Meniere’s disease. However, avoidance of stress is unrealistic for patients who live in demanding social environments. Our findings in this pilot study suggest that interventions to decrease vasopressin secretion by abundant water intake, tympanic ventilation tubes and sleeping in darkness is feasible in treating Meniere’s disease, even though these therapies did not alter reported mental/physical stress levels.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01099046

Ultrafine particles, with a size and number density comparable to those of particulate impurities in ultrapure water, were counted individually by the proposed laser induced breakdown acoustic method. The detection conditions and counting efficiency of the particles were investigated theoretically, and the design conditions of the optical system for counting the ultrafine and ultradilute particles was obtained. Using 0.038 µm polystyrene ultrafine particles, which is one of the smallest standard particles on the market, particle counting at the number density of ultrapure water level, 102 particles per 1 ml, was demonstrated, and it was shown that the minimum detectable particle size was at least one order smaller than that of the conventional laser scattering method. The validity and applicability to in-line monitoring using a flow-type cell and size distribution measurements applying the pulse height distribution of the breakdown acoustic signals were also confirmed.

A focused pulsed laser beam was irradiated on a CaCO3 microparticle in water, and a laser breakdown of single microparticle was induced. In the laser breakdown plasma emission spectrum, the emission lines of Ca I and Ca II were observed, while these lines did not appear for the Ca2+ aqueous solution. Hence this method is effective for analysis of microparticulate impurities in liquids.

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We sought to establish a more efficient technique for induction of inner ear hair cell-like cells (HC-like cells) from embryonic stem cells (ES cells) by using a combination of two previously reported methods; ST2 stromal cell-conditioned medium, known to be favorable for HC-like cell induction (HIST2 method), and ES cells with transfer of the Math1 gene (Math1-ES cells). Math1-ES cells carrying Tet-inducible Math1 were cultured for 14days with doxycycline in conditioned medium from cultures of ST2 stromal cells following formation of 4-day embryoid bodies (EBs). Although each of the previously introduced methods have been reported to induce approximately 20% HC-like cells and 10% HC-like cells in their respective populations in EB outgrowths at the end of the culture periods, the present combined method was able to generate approximately 30% HC-like cells expressing HC-related markers (myosin6, myosin7a, calretinin, α9AchR, Brn3c), which showed remarkable formation of stereocilia-like structures. Analysis of expressions of marker genes specific for cochlear (Lmod3, Emcn) and vestibular (Dnah5, Ptgds) cells indicated that our HIST2 method may lead to induction of cochlear- and vestibular-type cells. In addition, continuous Math1 induction by doxycycline without use of the HIST2 method preferentially induced cochlear markers with negligible effects on vestibular marker induction.

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Based on a review of hydrogen injection test a t BWRs, several possible factors were selected and studied to refine the radiolysis model previously proposed by the authors. T h e differences between calculated and measured dissolved oxygen concentrations were reduced 40% a t low hydrogen concentration (<40ppb) in reactor water by dividing the downcomer into several layers according to the dose rate, although some discrepancies still appeared a t higher hydrogen concentrations. Emphasis was placed on the following items to provide more valid model analyses:Accurate measurements of rate constants a t high temperatures (2285°C) are required .(1)for the following reactions :Hz+OH -H+H20, HZOpfOH -HOz+HzO, and 0 1 + O H -Oz+OH-.(2) Impurities such as Nz and metal ions have a potential to curb efficiency of oxygen KEYWORDS: water chemistry, oxygen suppression, downcomer, carry-under, bypa88 Row, rate constant, radiolysis, BWR type reactors, accuracy, impuritie8, coolants, hydrogen, water suppression by the hydrogen addition technique.