In the 1940's, several destructive earthquakes occurred in western Japan. Seismograms in this period were usually recorded on smoked paper and the quality was poor compared to modern digital data. But the recent development of image processing technology enabled us to reconstruct feasible waveform data, whereby we investigated source rupture processes of two devastating earthquakes: the Tonankai earthquake (M7.9) of December 7, 1944, and the Mikawa earthquake (M6.8) of January 13, 1945. The results for the Tonankai earthquake show that the source roughly consists of a single asperity with a length scale of 100 km, having no segment structure with a smaller length-scale. Such a feature seems to be reflected to the sea bottom topography above the source region. The main source parameters are as follows: the seismic moment = 1.0 × 10 21 Nm (Mw=7.9); the fault area = 140 km × 80 km; (strike, dip, rake) = (225• , 15• , 79 • ); the maximum and averaged dislocations = 4.4 m and 3.0 m, respectively. The analysis of the seismograms for the Mikawa earthquake shows that the source is a reverse fault with a slight left-lateral component. The pressure axis is directed to ENE-WSW, which is a little rotated from the EW compression axis prevailing in western Japan. This fault can be regarded as the southern extension of the Nobi earthquake fault system. The main source parameters are as follows: the seismic moment = 1.0 × 10 19 Nm (Mw=6.6); the fault area = 20 km × 15 km; (strike, dip, rake) = (135• , 30• , 65 • ); the maximum and averaged dislocations are 2.1 m and 1.1 m, respectively. The slip distribution mainly consists of two asperities: the one near the hypocenter and the other 10-15 km northwest from it. The heavily damaged area is well correlated with the northwestern asperity.

The objective of this study was to explore salivary metabolite biomarkers by profiling both saliva and tumor tissue samples for oral cancer screening. Paired tumor and control tissues were obtained from oral cancer patients and whole unstimulated saliva samples were collected from patients and healthy controls. The comprehensive metabolomic analysis for profiling hydrophilic metabolites was conducted using capillary electrophoresis time-of-flight mass spectrometry. In total, 85 and 45 metabolites showed significant differences between tumor and matched control samples, and between salivary samples from oral cancer and controls, respectively (P < 0.05 correlated by false discovery rate); 17 metabolites showed consistent differences in both saliva and tissue-based comparisons. Of these, a combination of only two biomarkers yielded a high area under receiver operating characteristic curves (0.827; 95% confidence interval, 0.726–0.928, P < 0.0001) for discriminating oral cancers from controls. Various validation tests confirmed its high generalization ability. The demonstrated approach, integrating both saliva and tumor tissue metabolomics, helps eliminate pseudo-molecules that are coincidentally different between oral cancers and controls. These combined salivary metabolites could be the basis of a clinically feasible method of non-invasive oral cancer screening.

The sensitivity of the baroreceptor reflex in nine patients with borderline hypertension (mean age 19.1 + 0.2 years) was compared to that in six normal subjects of comparable age (mean 18.8 ± 0.3 years) and that in 14 patients with established hypertension (mean age 48.3 ± 3.1 years). The sensitivity of the baroreceptor reflex was assessed by determining the slope of the regression line relating the rise of systolic pressure to the prolongation of the R-R interval during the transient rise of arterial pressure induced by an intravenous injection of phenylephrine. The average baroreceptor slope in nine patients with borderline hypertension was 9.1 ± 0.8 msec/mm Hg, which was significantly less than that in six normal subjects (16.0 ± 2.0; P < 0.01), but was greater than that in 14 patients with established hypertension (4.9 ± 0.7; P < 0.01). The significant negative correlation was found as the baroreceptor slope was related to the mean arterial pressure in patients with borderline hypertension and normal subjects, all of whom were 20 years old or less. Attenuation of the baroreceptor sensitivity may influence the maintenance of raised arterial pressure in borderline hypertension. Material and Methods The study was undertaken on 29 subjects. They were divided into three groups. Group A included nine patients with borderline hypertension. All patients but one were sent from the siudent clinic of the university for an evaluation of high blood pressure which was found on a routine student physical examination. These students were selected on the basis of blood pressure readings higher than 150 mm Hg systolic or 90 mm Hg diastolic at least three times out of five checks on five successive days. All patients were asymptomatic. Their age was 19.1 ± 0.2 (mean ± SEM) years old. Additional Indexing WordsGroup B was composed of 14 patients with established hypertension. Their age ranged from 32 to 68 years old (mean age 48.1 ± 2.8). All of them had the history of hypertension for at least a few years and their diastolic blood pressures were consistently higher than 95 mm Hg at the outpatient clinic, although some of them showed a reduction of blood pressure after admission without drug treatment. Most of them had evidence of cardiovascular diseases on the fundoscopic examination, ECG, or chest X-ray. No patient had symptoms or signs of congestive heart failure. All medications including antihypertensive drugs were discontinued at least two weeks prior to the study.Secondary hypertension was ruled out on all patients in groups A and B. The studies undertaken on these patients included complete blood counts, urinalysis, urine culture, serum and urine electrolytes, intravenous pyelography, creatinine clearance, plasma renin activity at rest and after one hour of upright posture, and 24 hours urine for VMA, 17KS and 170HCS, and aldosterone.Six normal volunteer students of comparable ages were included as controls (group C).

The purpose of this study was to compare the usefulness of ultrasonography to that of angiography for studying arterial lesions in Takayasu's arteritis. Ultrasonographic and angiographic findings from 44 carotid arteries of 22 patients with Takayasu's arteritis (2 men and 20 women; mean age, 41.2 years) were compared. Angiography was used to classify the patency of the carotid arteries into three groups: nonstenotic, stenotic, and occlusive. Ultrasonography was also used to classify the same arteries into four groups: nonstenotic, mildly stenotic, moderately stenotic, and occlusive. Thickness of the wall (intima-media complex) of the carotid artery was measured with high-frequency transducers. Angiography showed 23 carotid arteries to be nonstenotic; 12, stenotic; and 9, occlusive; whereas ultrasonography showed 16 to be nonstenotic; 18, mildly stenotic; 7, moderately stenotic; and 3, occlusive. Results of the two diagnostic modalities correlated closely (P < 0.0001). Ultrasonography, aided by color flow imaging, detected six instances of a marginal but definite blood flow that angiography had failed to reveal. Arterial wall thickness correlated closely with the severity of ultrasonographic stenosis (P < 0.005). This thickness was 1.3 +/- 0.4 mm in the nonstenotic group, 1.6 +/- 0.5 mm in the mildly stenotic group, 2.2 +/- 0.8 mm in the moderately stenotic group, and 1.9 +/- 0.2 mm in the occlusive group. Even the walls of the nonstenotic arteries were significantly thicker than those of the normal carotid arteries (0.7 +/- 0.1 mm, P < 0.01). Ultrasonography appeared to be more useful than angiography in estimating stenotic severity of the carotid artery in Takayasu's arteritis. Characteristic ultrasonic findings included luminal stenosis or occlusion on two-dimensional ultrasonograms, decrease in or lack of flow shown by color Doppler flow imaging, and concentric thickening of the carotid arterial walls. Ultrasonographic mural thickness was the most sensitive indicator of early, latent inflammation.

No abstract