Explore the vast range of titles available.

The aim in this note is to show that the variable Riesz potential operator I α ( · ) embeds variable exponent grand Morrey spaces L p ( · ) - 0 , ν ( · ) , θ ( G ) into Campanato–Morrey spaces.

Although titanium dioxide photocatalysts having an anatase phase are a promising substrate for photodegradation of pollutants in water and air, their photocatalytic activities show only under UV light. To utilize solar light which has a large amount of visible light, the development of the photocatalysts whose activities show under visible light is one of the most important strategies. We have succeeded in synthesizing chemically modified titanium dioxide photocatalysts in which S (S4+) substitutes for some of the lattice titanium atoms. They show strong absorption for visible light and high activities for degradation of 2-propanol in aqueous solution and partial oxidation of adamantane in acetonitrile under irradiation at wavelengths longer than 440 nm. The oxidation state of the S atoms incorporated into the TiO2 particles is determined to be mainly S4+ from XPS spectra.

We establish the boundedness of generalized fractional integral operators Iρ on variable exponent Morrey spaces of an integral form Lp(·),ω(G) , where ρ(x,r) and ω(x,r) are general functions satisfying certain conditions.

This study aimed to investigate changes in corneal morphology following pediatric lower-lid epiblepharon surgery using a topographic modeling system 5 (TMS-5 ). A randomized controlled trial compared two surgical interventions for pediatric epiblepharon: incisional (modified Hotz procedure with lid margin splitting) and nonincisional. Corneal topography analysis using the TMS-5 served as an outcome measure. The study included 89 eyes from 50 children aged 3-12 years (mean age, 7.5 ± 2.4 years) diagnosed with moderate epiblepharon. Patients were randomly assigned to the incisional (45 eyes from 25 patients) or nonincisional (44 eyes from 25 patients) groups. Parameters including surface regularity index (SRI), Standard Deviation of Corneal Power (SDP), Irregular Astigmatism Index (IAI), and corneal astigmatism (CYL) were evaluated. The positive rate of Keratoconus Screening System (Keratoconus Index [KCI] and Keratoconus Severity Index [KSI]) was assessed. The 6-month postoperative mean changes in corneal astigmatism were -0.34 ± 0.96 D (p = 0.012) and -0.21 ± 0.67 D (p = 0.22) in the incisional and nonincisional groups, respectively. Corneal astigmatism parameters significantly improved following both surgical procedures (p < 0.01). Preoperatively, 14.6% and 28.1% of patients were suspected of keratoconus using KCI and KSI, respectively, with a significantly reduced postoperative suspicion positivity rate (p < 0.01). Corneal astigmatism significantly improved in the incisional group. Both surgical methods improved the postoperative corneal surface smoothness, corneal refractive power variability, and irregular astigmatism. Patients with epiblepharon were occasionally suspected of keratoconus when assessed with TMS, with a higher frequency indicated by KSI.

This prospective observational study aimed to explore the diversity in lacrimal pathway morphology among patients with congenital nasolacrimal duct obstruction (CNLDO) by examining dacryocystography (DCG) images. The study included 64 patients who underwent DCG before undergoing general anesthesia probing for unilateral CNLDO. Several parameters were measured from the lateral view of the DCG images: (1) the lacrimal sac (LS) and the nasolacrimal duct (NLD) angle, (2) the angle formed by the superior orbital rim (SOR), LS, and the NLD, (3) LS length, and (4) bony NLD length. Additionally, frontal views of the DCG images were utilized to measure (5) LS-NLD angle and (6) LS angle concerning the midline. The average age of the patients was 34.3 months. The mean ± standard deviation of the measurements of the above parameters was (1) -1.2° ± 16.5° (range: -44.6° ± 46.6°), (2) -5.0° ± 10.3° (range: -24.0° ± 19.0°), (3) 10.2 ± 2.4 mm (range: 6.5-16.0 mm), (4) 8.0 ± 2.5 mm (range: 3.1-14.8 mm), (5) 15.6° ± 11.2° (range: -16.8° ± 41.0°), and (6) 15.1 ± 5.2° (range: 3.3°-29.8°). All parameters, except for parameter (3), conformed to a normal distribution. This study provides valuable anthropometric data derived from DCG images, highlighting the substantial variability in lacrimal pathway morphology among patients with CNLDO. Furthermore, anatomical constraints made probing with a straight metal bougie anatomically infeasible in 25.0% of the patients included in this study.

According to the recently proposed diagnostic criteria for sarcopenic dysphagia, sarcopenic dysphagia can be classified as probable or possible based on tongue pressure. However, it is unclear whether patients with probable and possible sarcopenic dysphagia have different characteristics. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether patients with possible and probable sarcopenic dysphagia have different clinical characteristics. A cross-sectional study. Setting: A rehabilitation hospital. PARTICIPANTS: In total, 129 patients aged ≥65 years with sarcopenic dysphagia were included. A tongue pressure of <20 kPa was indicative of probable sarcopenic dysphagia, and a tongue pressure of ≥20 kPa was indicative of possible sarcopenic dysphagia. Kuchi-Kara Taberu (KT) index scores were compared between the probable or possible sarcopenic dysphagia groups. According to the tongue pressure, 76 and 53 patients were classified into the probable and possible sarcopenic dysphagia groups, respectively. In multiple linear regression analysis, the presence of probable sarcopenic dysphagia was independently associated with the total KT index score (standardized coefficient: −0.313, regression coefficient: −4.500, 95% confidence interval [CI], −6.920 to −2.080, P < 0.001). The presence of probable sarcopenic dysphagia was independently associated with some subitems of the KT index (willingness to eat, cognitive function while eating, oral preparatory and propulsive phase, severity of pharyngeal dysphagia, eating behavior, and daily living activities). Patients with probable sarcopenic dysphagia were characterized by poor overall eating-related conditions, especially poor swallowing ability, ability to perform activities of daily living, and nutritional status.

The PD-1/B7-H1 pathway regulates immune responses and maintains homeostasis. Here, we identified a unique expression of B7 homolog 1 (B7-H1) on masticatory mucosae in the oral cavity. B7-H1 was physiologically expressed on the dorsal surface of the tongue, gingiva, and hard palate. Other squamous epithelia and other structures of the epithelia did not express B7-H1 in the steady state. Physiological B7-H1 expression on masticatory mucosae was limited on prickle cells, and its expression on basal keratinocytes (KCs) was strictly regulated. B7-H1 on prickle cells was upregulated by external topical stimuli, but B7-H1 on basal KCs was induced only by internal stimuli via infiltrating cells. The blocking of KC-associated B7-H1 or the lack of programmed cell death-1 (PD-1) on tissue effector CD4+ T cells in mice lacking B7-H1 on immune cells drastically exacerbated the tissue inflammation induced by topical OVA painting as an exogenous antigen, indicating direct interaction with KCs and CD4+ T cells. Trans-coinhibitory signals by KCs may modulate local T-cell/dendritic cell activation, resulting in inhibition of T-cell responses in both peripheral and secondary lymphoid tissues. Careful control of B7-H1 induction in KCs may play a crucial role in the protection from CD4+ T cell-mediated tissue inflammation by exogenous antigens delivered from the mucosal surface.

BackgroundPulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is prominent as a vascular involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc), which remains a leading cause of death in spite of current best treatments. Although recent studies focused on early diagnosis of established PAH, it is known that more than a half of the pulmonary circulation is impaired before early PAH is detected. However, there is little study about the changes of vascular functions or the underlying gene expressions during its subclinical stage.ObjectivesI. To detect the pathological changes in pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and vascular functions before PAH is manifested. II. To explore the changes in its underlying gene expressions of peripheral blood.MethodsTotal of 103 cases without PAH symptoms (NYHA I) with either Raynaud phenomenon (RP: n=87), skin sclerosis (n=65) or SSc-related autoantibody (n=68) were enrolled. To detect the pathological change of PAP, exercise Doppler echocardiography was carried out, and exercise induced pulmonary hypertension (exPH) group was segregated from normal response group (exN) with using the definition described in R. Naeije et al.1) Vascular function was evaluated with thermography after 0°C-stress and determination of ankle-brachial index (ABI) and cardio-ankle vascular index (CAVI). Furthermore, reactive hyperemic index (RHI), augmentation index (AI) and second derivative of photoplethsmogram ageing index (SDPTGAI) were assessed with using EndoPAT. Micro-vascular changes were also recorded with nailfold videocapillaroscopy. Meanwhile, genome-wide gene expression analysis was performed with using whole peripheral blood. The genes correlated with each vascular function tests were analysed by weighted gene co-expression network analysis (WGCNA) and pathway enrichment analysis (PathVisio).ResultsThere were significant differences between exPH and exN group in the result of thermography after 0°C-stress test, CAVI and AI normalised to heart rate of 75bpm (AI@75bpm). As the CAVI and AI are known to correlate positively with age, careful interpretation was necessary because the mean age of exPH group was higher as compare with exN group (69.05±11.04 vs. 60.23±14.73). However, the fact that recovery of blood-flow from RP was significantly delayed in exPH group suggested the additional pathological changes of vascular and endothelial functions. Gene expression analysis revealed that several mutual pathways such as “type2 interferon signalling”, “oxidative damage” and “fatty acid omega oxidation” seemed to underlie some vascular changes.ConclusionsThe results of vascular function tests including thermography after 0°C-stress, CAVI and AI@75bpm were significantly different between exPH and exN group. On the other hand, gene expression analysis showed that many factors such as ageing, arteriosclerotic and immunological mechanisms were involved in the changes of these vascular functions. Although further prospective study is required to select appropriate set of the tests, it is possible that evaluation of these vascular functions may be useful as a non-invasive test to assess the pulmonary vascular disease before PAH is manifested.Reference[1] . R. Naeije, et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med187, 576–583 (2013).Disclosure of InterestNone declared

This study aimed to investigate whether inflammation affects the outcome of swallowing ability to improve treatment for sarcopenic dysphagia. A retrospective observational cohort study was performed using data from the Japanese sarcopenic dysphagia database. The database was constructed using data from 19 hospitals and one home visiting rehabilitation team. Patients with sarcopenic dysphagia with measurements of C-reactive protein (CRP) and serum albumin (Alb) were included. Patients were assigned to two groups using CRP, Alb, and the Japanese modified Glasgow Prognostic Score (mGPS). The Food Intake LEVEL Scale (FILS) was measured at the times of admission and follow-up (FILS follow-up) to assess swallowing function. A total of 197 patients were included. Mean or median values of each parameter were as follows: age: 83.8±8.7, Alb: 3.2 ± 0.6 g/dL, CRP: 8.0 [3.0, 29.0] mg/L, mGPS: 1 [1–2], FILS: 7 [6–8], FILS follow-up: 8 [7–8], and duration of follow-up: 57.0 [27.0, 85.0] days. The FILS score at follow-up was significantly lower in the high CRP group (≥ 5.0 mg/L) than in the low CRP group (< 5.0 mg/L) (p = 0.01). Further, the FILS score at follow-up was significantly lower in the high mGPS group (class; 2) than in the low mGPS group (class; 0 and 1) (p = 0.03). In the multiple linear regression analyses without FILS at baseline, CRP and mGPS were independent risk factors for FILS follow-up. When FILS at baseline was entered, CRP and mGPS were not an independent risk factors for FILS follow-up. Inflammation could modify the outcome of the patients with sarcopenic dysphagia. Inflammation may be an important risk factor in evaluating patients with sarcopenic dysphagia.