Successful Treatment in a Case of Massive Hepatocellular Carcinoma with Paraneoplastic Syndrome

Paraneoplastic syndromes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) are not uncommon. However, the prognosis is poor and follow-up and improvement of paraneoplastic syndromes with treatment have been reported rarely. We report a successful case in an aged man of a massive HCC with paraneoplastic syndrome, treated by combined intraarterial chemotherapy and hepatic resection. Paraneoplastic syndrome (erythrocytosis and hyperlipidemia) was monitored throughout the treatment and erythropoietin (EPO) mRNA also was analyzed in the resected liver. The hemoglobin level and serum levels of EPO and total cholesterol (T-cho) decreased dramatically with treatment, along with a decrease in serum levels of α-fetoprotein and protein induced by vitamin vitamin K absence II (PIVKA-II). Semiquantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) revealed that the residual cancer expressed EPO RNA but the nontumor tissue did not. This was a rare case of paraneoplastic syndrome of HCC that was treated successfully. This case indicates that paraneoplastic syndrome reflected tumor progression and that serum levels of both EPO and T-cho might be used as tumor markers

Serum anti-DIDO1, anti-CPSF2, and anti-FOXJ2 antibodies as predictive risk markers for acute ischemic stroke

Background Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a serious cause of mortality and disability. AIS is a serious cause of mortality and disability. Early diagnosis of atherosclerosis, which is the major cause of AIS, allows therapeutic intervention before the onset, leading to prevention of AIS. Methods Serological identification by cDNA expression cDNA libraries and the protein array method were used for the screening of antigens recognized by serum IgG antibodies in patients with atherosclerosis. Recombinant proteins or synthetic peptides derived from candidate antigens were used as antigens to compare serum IgG levels between healthy donors (HDs) and patients with atherosclerosis-related disease using the amplified luminescent proximity homogeneous assay-linked immunosorbent assay. Results The first screening using the protein array method identified death-inducer obliterator 1 (DIDO1), forkhead box J2 (FOXJ2), and cleavage and polyadenylation specificity factor (CPSF2) as the target antigens of serum IgG antibodies in patients with AIS. Then, we prepared various antigens including glutathione S-transferase-fused DIDO1 protein as well as peptides of the amino acids 297–311 of DIDO1, 426–440 of FOXJ2, and 607–621 of CPSF2 to examine serum antibody levels. Compared with HDs, a significant increase in antibody levels of the DIDO1 protein and peptide in patients with AIS, transient ischemic attack (TIA), and chronic kidney disease (CKD) but not in those with acute myocardial infarction and diabetes mellitus (DM). Serum anti-FOXJ2 antibody levels were elevated in most patients with atherosclerosis-related diseases, whereas serum anti-CPSF2 antibody levels were associated with AIS, TIA, and DM. Receiver operating characteristic curves showed that serum DIDO1 antibody levels were highly associated with CKD, and correlation analysis revealed that serum anti-FOXJ2 antibody levels were associated with hypertension. A prospective case–control study on ischemic stroke verified that the serum antibody levels of the DIDO1 protein and DIDO1, FOXJ2, and CPSF2 peptides showed significantly higher odds ratios with a risk of AIS in patients with the highest quartile than in those with the lowest quartile, indicating that these antibody markers are useful as risk factors for AIS. Conclusions Serum antibody levels of DIDO1, FOXJ2, and CPSF2 are useful in predicting the onset of atherosclerosis-related AIS caused by kidney failure, hypertension, and DM, respectively.journal articl

Effects of 3-week work-matched high-intensity intermittent cycling training with different cadences on VO2max in university athletes

The aim of this study is to clarify the effects of 3-week work-matched high-intensity intermittent cycling training (HIICT) with different cadences on the VO2max of university athletes. Eighteen university athletes performed HIICT with either 60 rpm (n = 9) or 120 rpm (n = 9). The HIICT consisted of eight sets of 20 s exercise with a 10 s passive rest between each set. The initial training intensity was set at 135% of VO2max and was decreased by 5% every two sets. Athletes in both groups performed nine sessions of HIICT during a 3-week period. The total workload and achievement rate of the workload calculated before experiments in each group were used for analysis. VO2max was measured pre- and post-training. After 3 weeks of training, no significant differences in the total workload and the achievement rate of the workload were found between the two groups. VO2max similarly increased in both groups from pre- to post-training (p = 0.016), with no significant differences between the groups (p = 0.680). These results suggest that cadence during HIICT is not a training variable affecting the effect of VO2max

Effect of warm-up exercise on delayed-onset muscle soreness

This study investigated whether a warm-up exercise consisting of 100 submaximal concentric contractions would attenuate delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and decreases in muscle strength associated with eccentric exercise-induced muscle damage. Ten male students performed two bouts of the elbow flexor exercise consisting of 12 maximal eccentric contractions with a warm-up exercise for one arm (WU) and without warm-up for the other arm (control: CON) in a randomised, counterbalanced order separated by 4 weeks. Muscle temperature of the biceps brachii prior to the exercise was compared between the arms, and muscle activity of the biceps brachii during the exercise was assessed by surface integral electromyogram (iEMG). Changes in visual analog scale for muscle soreness and maximal voluntary isometric contraction strength (MVC) of the elbow flexors were assessed before, immediately after, and every 24 hours for 5 days following exercise, and compared between the WU and CON conditions by a two-way repeated measures ANOVA. The pre-exercise biceps brachii muscle temperature was significantly (p < 0.01) higher for the WU (35.8 ± 0.2℃) than CON condition (34.4 ± 0.2℃), but no significant differences in iEMG and torque produced during exercise were evident between conditions. Changes in muscle soreness and MVC were not significantly different between conditions, although these variables showed significant (p<0.05) changes over time. It was concluded that the warm-up exercise was not effective in mitigating DOMS and loss of muscle strength following maximal eccentric exercise

The effects of short-duration static stretching of the lower extremities after warm-up exercise on endurance running performance

Previous studies have concluded that static stretching impairs running economy and endurance running performance. However these studies examined long durations (90-120 seconds for one muscle) of static stretching. Another study reported that most athletes perform static stretching of each muscle for less than 20 seconds in their warm-up. The purpose of this study was to clarify the influence of 20-second static stretches of the lower extremities after 15 minutes warm-up on endurance running performance. Seven healthy well-trained middle or long distance male runners (age 21.3 ± 2.1 years; height 170.3 ± 3.1 centimeters; weight 60.0 ± 5.5 kilograms) took part in the present study. Each subject ran on a treadmill at 90% VO_2max until exhaustion after one of two warm-up procedures. The two warm-up procedures were 15 minutes running at 70% VO_2max (Warm-up) and 15 minutes running at 70% VO_2max plus five static stretches of the lower extremities (Warm-up + static stretching). The running performance was evaluated by time to exhaustion. In the results, there were no significant differences in time to exhaustion among the warm-up exercises (Warm-up: 819.3 ± 230.6 sec., Warm-up + static stretching 817.9 ± 213.7 sec.). These results suggested that endurance running performance was not affected by the presence or absence of 20-second static stretches and there may be no need to avoid static stretches before endurance running if the duration is not too long

Development of Tilted Planetary Drilling System

AbstractThe study deals with development and practical experiment of the tilted planetary drilling system which is suitable for CFRP (Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastic) drilling. A new drilling technique for CFRP, which called as tilted planetary drilling is invented. In this paper, the principle model of eccentric mechanism of the tilted planetary drilling built. The eccentricity and the tool position are calculated for design of a prototype of the tilted planetary drilling

Does power output vary accordingly with high load resistance training? - A comparative study between Bulk-up and Strength-up resistance training

&lt;p&gt;The objective of this study is to investigate the effects of six weeks of high-intensity resistance training on the power output of 14 university basketball players. The subjects were randomly divided into two groups: a hypertrophy-oriented group (bulk-up) and a neuromuscular improvement oriented-group (strength-up). The bulk-up group performed three sets of squat exercises at 75% of 1RM with 10 repetitions and 1-minute rest period between sets. The strength-up group performed six sets of squat exercises at 90% of 1RM with four repetitions and 3-minute rest period between sets. Both groups performed the squat exercises twice a week over a period of six weeks. The one repetition maximum (1RM) and muscle power of the squat were measured before training (0-wk), after three weeks of training (3-wk), and after six weeks of training (6-wk). The thigh circumference of each subject was measured at 0-wk and 6-wk. It is found that the 1RM of the squat increases significantly after the training period for both groups, and the rate of improvement does not differ between the groups at 6-wk (bulk-up group: 13.1 ± 9.3%, strength-up group: 12.6 ± 6.3%). It is also found that there is a significant increase in the thigh circumference (p &amp;lt; 0.01) in the left leg for the bulk-up group. In contrast, there is a significant increase in the peak muscle power (POWmax) (p &amp;lt; 0.05) for the strength-up group. The rate of increase for POWmax is different even after three weeks of training (bulk-up group: -4.5 ± 9.6%, strength-up group: 13.9 ± 13.6%). The results suggest that the effects of resistance training on the power output and thigh circumference vary according to the training programme even if the total work load remains the same. It is recommended that strength-up resistance training is implemented to increase muscle power. &lt;/p&gt;</jats:p