Rolling of biodegradable poly(butylene succinate) PBS sheets

Kazuo Nakayama,Yoichi Taguchi,Akihiro Oishi,Takashi Masuda 한국소성가공학회 2003 플라스틱가공 심포지엄(한일 공동 세미나) Vol.2003 No.4

Development and Validation of Generalized Linear Regression Models to Predict Vessel Enhancement on Coronary CT Angiography

Takanori Masuda,Takeshi Nakaura,Yoshinori Funama,Tomoyasu Sato,Toru Higaki,Masao Kiguchi,Yoriaki Matsumoto,Yukari Yamashita,Naoyuki Imada,Kazuo Awai 대한영상의학회 2018 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.19 No.6

Objective: We evaluated the effect of various patient characteristics and time-density curve (TDC)-factors on the test bolus-affected vessel enhancement on coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We also assessed the value of generalized linear regression models (GLMs) for predicting enhancement on CCTA. Materials and Methods: We performed univariate and multivariate regression analysis to evaluate the effect of patient characteristics and to compare contrast enhancement per gram of iodine on test bolus (ΔHUTEST) and CCTA (ΔHUCCTA). We developed GLMs to predict ΔHUCCTA. GLMs including independent variables were validated with 6-fold cross-validation using the correlation coefficient and Bland–Altman analysis. Results: In multivariate analysis, only total body weight (TBW) and ΔHUTEST maintained their independent predictive value (p < 0.001). In validation analysis, the highest correlation coefficient between ΔHUCCTA and the prediction values was seen in the GLM (r = 0.75), followed by TDC (r = 0.69) and TBW (r = 0.62). The lowest Bland–Altman limit of agreement was observed with GLM-3 (mean difference, -0.0 ± 5.1 Hounsfield units/grams of iodine [HU/gI]; 95% confidence interval [CI], -10.1, 10.1), followed by ΔHUCCTA (-0.0 ± 5.9 HU/gI; 95% CI, -11.9, 11.9) and TBW (1.1 ± 6.2 HU/gI; 95% CI, -11.2, 13.4). Conclusion: We demonstrated that the patient’s TBW and ΔHUTEST significantly affected contrast enhancement on CCTA images and that the combined use of clinical information and test bolus results is useful for predicting aortic enhancement.

Effect of Patient Characteristics on Vessel Enhancement at Lower Extremity CT Angiography

Takanori Masuda,Takeshi Nakaura,Yoshinori Funama,Tomoyasu Sato,Toru Higaki,Masao Kiguchi,Yukari Yamashita,Naoyuki Imada,Kazuo Awai 대한영상의학회 2018 Korean Journal of Radiology Vol.19 No.2

Objective: To evaluate the effect of patient characteristics on popliteal aortic contrast enhancement at lower extremity CT angiography (LE-CTA) scanning. Materials and Methods: Prior informed consent to participate was obtained from all 158 patients. All were examined using a routine protocol; the scanning parameters were tube voltage 100 kVp, tube current 100 mA to 770 mA (noise index 12), 0.5-second rotation, 1.25-mm detector row width, 0.516 beam pitch, and 41.2-mm table movement, and the contrast material was 85.0 mL. Cardiac output (CO) was measured with a portable electrical velocimeter within 5 minutes of starting the CT scan. To evaluate the effects of age, sex, body size, CO, and scan delay on the CT number of popliteal artery, the researchers used multivariate regression analysis. Results: A significant positive correlation was seen between the CT number of the popliteal artery and the patient age (r = 0.39, p < 0.01). A significant inverse correlation was observed between the CT number of the popliteal artery and the height (r = -0.48), total body weight (r = -0.52), body mass index (r = -0.33), body surface area (BSA) (r = -0.56), lean body weight (r = -0.56), and CO (r = -0.35) (p < 0.001 for all). There was no significant correlation between the enhancement and the scan delay (r = 0.06, p = 0.47). The BSA, CO, and age had significant effects on the CT number (standardized regression: BSA -0.42, CO -0.22, age 0.15; p < 0.05, respectively). Conclusion: The BSA, CO, and age are significantly correlated with the CT number of the popliteal artery on LE-CTA.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Analysis of Capsaicin Content in 16 Capsicum Fruits from Nepal

Thapa, Bindu,Skalko-Basnet, Natasa,Takano, Akihito,Masuda, Kazuo,Basnet, Purusotam The Korean Society of Food Science and Nutrition 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.4

Capsicum fruit, a popular spice as chili pepper, is an important ingredient of the formulations used in traditional medicines. Moreover, Capsicum fruit is listed as an official drug in several pharmacopoeias. Capsaicin, the most abundant component in Capsicum fruit, exhibits its therapeutic and adverse effects in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, the known capsaicin content is the prerequisite for optimizing any formulation based on Capsicum fruit as a crude drug. We studied 16 samples of Capsicum fruits grown at different altitudes in Nepal and determined their capsaicin content by high-performance liquid chromatography. The capsaicin content was found to range from 2.19 to 19.73 mg/g of dry weight of Capsicum fruits. Capsaicin content in pericarp was found to be higher than in seeds. No correlation was found between the shape or size of the fruits and its capsaicin content. Our findings indicate that many of the formulations prepared from Capsicum fruit, even as described in pharmacopoeias, may vary in their strength, therapeutic activity, and possible side effects if the capsaicin content in Capsicum fruit is not standardized.

High-Performance Liquid Chromatography Analysis of Capsaicin Content in 16 Capsicum Fruits from Nepal

Bindu Thapa,Natasa Skalko-Basnet,Akihito Takano,Kazuo Masuda,Purusotam Basnet1 한국식품영양과학회 2009 Journal of medicinal food Vol.12 No.4

Capsicum fruit, a popular spice as chili pepper, is an important ingredient of the formulations used in traditional medicines. Moreover, Capsicum fruit is listed as an official drug in several pharmacopoeias. Capsaicin, the most abundant component in Capsicum fruit, exhibits its therapeutic and adverse effects in a dose-dependent manner. Therefore, the known capsaicin content is the prerequisite for optimizing any formulation based on Capsicum fruit as a crude drug. We studied 16 samples of Capsicum fruits grown at different altitudes in Nepal and determined their capsaicin content by high-performance liquid chromatography. The capsaicin content was found to range from 2.19 to 19.73mg/g of dry weight of Capsicum fruits. Capsaicin content in pericarp was found to be higher than in seeds. No correlation was found between the shape or size of the fruits and its capsaicin content. Our findings indicate that many of the formulations prepared from Capsicum fruit, even as described in pharmacopoeias, may vary in their strength, therapeutic activity, and possible side effects if the capsaicin content in Capsicum fruit is not standardized.

Water-Soluble Undenatured Type II Collagen Ameliorates Collagen-Induced Arthritis in Mice

Orie Yoshinari,Yoshiaki Shiojima,Hiroyoshi Moriyama,Junichi Shinozaki,Takahisa Nakane,Kazuo Masuda,Manashi Bagchi 한국식품영양과학회 2013 Journal of medicinal food Vol.16 No.11

Earlier studies have reported the efficacy of type II collagen (C II) in treating rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, a few studies have investigated the ability of the antigenic collagen to induce oral tolerance, which is defined as active nonresponse to an orally administered antigen. We hypothesized that water-soluble undenatured C II had a similar effect as C II in RA. The present study was designed to examine the oral administration of a novel, water-soluble, undenatured C II (commercially known as NEXT-II) on collagen-induced arthritis (CIA) in mice. In addition, the underlying mechanism of NEXT-II was also identified. After a booster dose (collagen-Freund’s complete adjuvant), mice were assigned to control CIA group, or NEXT-II treatment group, to which saline and NEXT-II were administered, respectively. The arthritis index in the NEXT-II group was significantly lower compared with the CIA group. Serum IL-6 levels in the NEXT-II group were significantly lower compared with the CIA group, while serum IL-2 level was higher. Furthermore, oral administration of NEXT-II enhanced the proportion of CD4 + CD25 + T (Treg) cells, and gene expressions of stimulated dendritic cells induced markers for regulatory T cells such as forkhead box p3 (Foxp3), transforming growth factor (TGF)-b1, and CD25. These results demonstrated that orally administered water-soluble undenatured C II (NEXT-II) is highly efficacious in the suppression of CIA by inducing CD4 + CD25 + Treg cells.