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Biomedical subjects

S Uemura

Publications and source records attributed to S Uemura.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

Combining UASB and the "fourth generation" down-flow hanging sponge reactor for municipal wastewater treatment.

A "fourth generation" down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) Reactor has been developed and proposed as an improved variant of post-treatment system for UASB treating domestic wastewater. This paper evaluates the potential of the proposed combination of UASB and DHS as a sewage treatment system, especially for developing countries. A pilot-scale UASB (1.15 m3) and DHS (0.38 m3; volume of sponge) was installed in a municipal sewage treatment site and constantly monitored for 2 years. UASB was operated at an HRT of 6 h corresponding to an organic load of 2.15 kg-COD/m3 per day. Subsequently, the organic load in DHS was 2.35 kg-COD/m3 per day, operated at an HRT of 2 h. Organic removal by the whole system was satisfactory, accomplishing 96% of unfiltered BOD removal and 91% of unfiltered COD removal. However, nitrification decreased from 56% during the startup period to 28% afterwards. Investigation on DHS sludge was made by quantifying it and evaluating oxygen uptake rates with various substrates. Average concentration of trapped biomass was 26 g-VSS/L of sponge volume, increasing the SRT of the system to 100-125 d. Removal of coliforms obtained was 3-4 log10 with the final count of 10(3) to 10(4) MPN/100 ml in DHS effluent.

Biomass↗
PubMed2005

Treatment of wastewater containing a large amount of suspended solids by a novel multi-staged UASB reactor.

Treatment of artificial wastewater containing a large amount of suspended solids comprised of soybean processing waste and pig fodder was studied using a novel multi-staged upflow anaerobic sludge blanket reactor. The reactor consisted of three compartments, each containing a gas solid separator. The wastewater had chemical oxygen demand of approximately 21600 mg l(-1), suspended solids of 12800 mg l(-1), and an ammonia concentration of 945 mg l(-1). A continuous experiment without effluent circulation showed that the multi-staged reactor was not that effective for the treatment of wastewater containing a large amount of suspended solids. However, operation of the reactor with circulation of effluent enabled the reactor to achieve organic removal of 85% and approximately 70% methane conversion at loading rates of between 4.0 to 5.4 kg-chemical oxygen demand per cubic meter per day, meaning that the reactor was more effective when effluent was circulated. Morphological investigation revealed that the crude fiber in the sludge was partially degraded and that it had many small depressions on its surface. Evolved biogas may have become caught in these depressions of the fibers and caused washout of the sludge.

Anaerobiosis↗
PubMed2005

A low-cost municipal sewage treatment system with a combination of UASB and the "fourth-generation" downflow hanging sponge reactors.

This paper presents an evaluation of the process performance of a pilot-scale "fourth generation" downflow hanging sponge (DHS) post-treatment system combined with a UASB pretreatment unit treating municipal wastewater. After the successful operation of the second- and third-generation DHS reactors, the fourth-generation DHS reactor was developed to overcome a few shortcomings of its predecessors. This reactor was designed to further enhance the treatment efficiency and simplify the construction process in real scale, especially for the application in developing countries. Configuration of the reactor was modified to enhance the dissolution of air into the wastewater and to avert the possible clogging of the reactor especially during sudden washout from the UASB reactor. The whole system was operated at a total hydraulic retention time (HRT) of 8 h (UASB: 6 h and DHS: 2 h) for a period of over 600 days. The combined system was able to remove 96% of unfiltered BOD with only 9 mg/L remaining in the final effluent. Likewise, F. coli were removed by 3.45 log with the final count of 10(3) to 10(4) MPN/100 ml. Nutrient removal by the system was also satisfactory.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed2004

Use of the short form of King's Health Questionnaire to measure quality of life in patients with an overactive bladder.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a short version of the King's Health Questionnaire (KHQ), as there is a practical need to have a shorter version to summarize the eight domain scores into fewer domains. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Data from 293 patients were obtained from a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial in Japan of oxybutynin and tolterodine in patients with symptoms of an overactive bladder. The KHQ has two single-item and six multiple-item domains. To construct the short form of the KHQ one item was selected from the each of multiple-item domains, based on standardized structural coefficients estimated by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) in a previous study. These six items include the domains: 'daily activities from role limitation', 'travel from physical limitation', 'social life from social limitation', 'family life from personal relationship', 'depressed from emotion' and 'tired from sleep and energy'. Based on the six selected items a series of psychometric analyses were conducted. RESULTS: Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with promax rotation identified two factors 'limitation of daily life' (LDL) and mental health. LDL consisted of 'daily activities', 'travel' and 'social life', and mental health included 'family life', 'depressed' and 'tired'. Based on the results from the EFA, the second-order factor structure was tested by CFA. The model fitted the data well for both the male and female model. The KHQ short form showed excellent reliability with Cronbach's alpha coefficients for LDL and mental health for both genders. The domains in the short form were responsive to clinical efficacy variables, and had statistically significant sensitivity to change in the patients' perception of bladder condition in all domains. CONCLUSION: These analyses confirm the psychometric properties and clinical validity of the short-form KHQ, which appears to offer a practical, valid and reliable health-related quality-of-life instrument.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Extensive primary cardiac liposarcoma with multiple functional complications.

Cardiac liposarcoma in a patient manifested multiple cardiac functional complications. Three dimensional reconstruction of the heart with multidetector row computed tomography made apparent each of the cardiac complications that resulted from the tumour's invasion. On the basis of these findings, the floating mass in the pulmonary artery and the compressing mass around the superior vena cava and interatrial septum were successfully resected. Pathological examination of the mass was consistent with well differentiated liposarcoma.

Adult↗
PubMed2002

Concentrated platelets harvesting before cardiopulmonary bypass improved cardiac and pulmonary function.

BACKGROUND: Sequestration of concentrated platelets (P-con) during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) has been performed to preserve platelet function after cardiac surgery. Since P-con also harvests leukocytes simultaneously, there might be a possibility that the inflammatory effects or ischemia-reperfusion injuries associated with CPB, such as a cardiac or pulmonary dysfunction after cardiac surgery, are reduced with its use. METHODS: We retrospectively evaluated 53 patients who underwent cardiac surgery after the introduction of the P-con technique at our institute. There were 20 patients in the P-con group and 33 patients in the control group in whom concentrated platelet were not harvested. RESULTS: The patients characteristics and preoperative cardiac and pulmonary function did not differ between the two groups. The percentages of platelets and leukocytes sequestrated were 20.2+/-5.4% and 8.5+/-3.9% of the total estimated circulating cell counts, respectively. There were no significant differences in the postoperative dose of dopamine used, cardiac index, pulmonary capillary wedge pressure or intubation period between the two groups. However, the stroke volume index (p=0.005), left ventricular stroke work index (p=0.002), and ratio of the arterial oxygen tension to the inspired fraction of oxygen on extubation (p=0.02) were significantly greater in the P-con group as compared with those in the control. CONCLUSIONS: P-con improved cardiac and pulmonary function after CPB. Simultaneous sequestration of platelets and leukocytes by P-con during CPB may contribute to the improvement of cardiac and pulmonary function after cardiac surgery.

Aged↗
PubMed2002

Removal of indigenous coliphages and fecal coliforms by a novel sewage treatment system consisting of UASB and DHS units.

A novel sewage treatment system, which consists of an upflow anaerobic sludge blanket (UASB) pre-treatment unit and the following downflow hanging sponge (DHS) unit for polishing up the UASB effluent, was developed as a cost-effective and easy-maintenance sewage treatment system for developing countries. A long-term experiment with actual sewage was conducted in order to evaluate its treatment efficiency of organic substances, nutrients, and pathogen indicator microorganisms such as total coliphages, F+-specific RNA coliphages (RNA coliphages), and fecal coliforms. The main objective of this paper is to investigate the removal efficiency of those indicator microorganisms by the UASB-DHS combined system. The results obtained from the continuous flow experiment indicated a fairly promising removal of the indicator microorganisms, i.e., the log10 reductions of total coliphages, RNA coliphages, and fecal coliforms (based on sewage and DHS effluent) achieved were 2.01 log, 2.02 log, and 2.57 log, respectively. The UASB-DHS combined system was superior to the conventional activated sludge process in the reduction of fecal coliforms, but in the reductions of total and RNA coliphages, the system showed somewhat less removal efficiency. The vertical reducing patterns of the indicator microorganisms along the DHS reactor were also discussed.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed2001

Pd(ii)-hydrotalcite-catalyzed oxidation of alcohols to aldehydes and ketones using atmospheric pressure of air.

A heterogenized Pd catalyst, Pd(II)-hydrotalcite (palladium(II) acetate-pyridine complex supported by hydrotalcite) catalyzes the aerobic oxidation in toluene of a variety of primary and secondary alcohols into the corresponding aldehydes and ketones in high yields using atmospheric pressure of air as a sole oxidant under mild conditions. This catalyst is also effective for the oxidation of allylic alcohols, especially such as geraniol and nerol, without any isomerization of an alkenic part. The catalyst can be easily prepared from all commercially available reagents and reused several times.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Diabetes mellitus enhances vascular matrix metalloproteinase activity: role of oxidative stress.

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a primary risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Although recent studies have demonstrated an important role for extracellular matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) in atherosclerosis, little is known about the effects of hyperglycemia on MMP regulation in vascular cells. Gelatin zymography and Western blot analysis revealed that the activity and expression of 92-kDa (MMP-9) gelatinase, but not of 72 kDa (MMP-2) gelatinase, were significantly increased in vascular tissue and plasma of two distinct rodent models of DM. Bovine aortic endothelial cells (BAECs) grown in culture did not express MMP-9 constitutively; however, chronic (2-week) incubation with high glucose medium induced MMP-9 promoter activity, mRNA and protein expression, and gelatinase activity in BAECs. On the other hand, high glucose culture did not change MMP-9 activity from vascular smooth muscle cells or macrophages. Electron paramagnetic resonance studies indicate that BAECs chronically grown in high glucose conditions produce 70% more ROS than do control cells. Enhanced MMP-9 activity was significantly reduced by treatment with the antioxidants polyethylene glycol-superoxide dismutase and N-acetyl-L-cysteine but not by inhibitors of protein kinase C. In conclusion, vascular MMP-9 activity is increased in DM, in part because of enhanced elaboration from vascular endothelial cells, and oxidative stress plays an important role. This novel mechanism of redox-sensitive MMP-9 expression by hyperglycemia may provide a rationale for antioxidant therapy to modulate diabetic vascular complications.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

L-arginine polymer mediated inhibition of graft coronary artery disease after cardiac transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Nitric oxide (NO) limits the development of graft coronary artery disease (GCAD) in transplanted hearts. We hypothesized that l-arginine polymers administered to cardiac allografts ex vivo would translocate across vascular cellular membranes, up-regulate inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) production of NO, and inhibit the development of GCAD. METHODS: Three groups of PVG rat donor hearts were incubated with either 0.8 ml phosphate-buffered saline, (PBS, n=12) or 50 microM L-arginine polymer solutions of length five (R5, n=12) or nine (R9, n=12) prior to heterotopic transplantation into ACI recipients. Graft vessels were scored at POD 60 and 90 for percentage luminal narrowing (%LN), intima to media ratio (I/M), and percentage affected vessels (%AV). Translocation efficiency was determined by treatment with biotinylated polymers. NO production of treated aortic segments was determined in vitro by Griess reaction. RESULTS: Translocation efficiencies were 89+/-19% (R9), 7+/-10% (R5), and 0+/-0% PBS (ANOVA, P<0.001) which corresponded to NO production in treated aortic segments of 0.175+/-0.17 (R9), 0.120+/-0.006 (R5), and 0.135+/-0.035 microM/mg (PBS), (ANOVA, P=0.002). GCAD scores at POD 60 were: %LN: 3.2+/-3.8% (R9), 12.6+/-6.7% (R5), 11.3+/-4.2% (PBS) (ANOVA, P=0.025); I/M: 0.03+/-0.04 (R9), 0.13+/-0.07 (R5), 0.12+/-0.05 (PBS) (ANOVA, P=0.037); %AV: 7+/-7% (R9), 19+/-7%(R5), 22+/-9%(PBS) (ANOVA, P=0.021). Reduction of GCAD parameters was maintained at POD 90. CONCLUSION: R9 efficiently translocated across cytoplasmic membranes, enhanced vascular NO production, and decreased neointimal hyperplasia. This ex vivo treatment may have a therapeutic role in preventing GCAD.

Animals↗
PubMed2001

Mn K-edge XMCD in Mn3MC (M=Zn and Ga) perovskite.

Mn3MC (M=Zn and Ga) perovskite has attracted interest because of a variety of magnetic phase transitions. In this work, we measure temperature and magnetic field dependence of X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) at Mn K-edge and discuss effect of second constituent metal on the magnetic states of Mn atoms. The spectrum in Mn3ZnC is characterized by a dispersion-type profile. In Mn3GaC, intensity of the positive peak at the edge is drastically reduced. The difference originates in charge transfer from Zn or Ga to Mn atoms. Temperature and magnetic field variations of the Mn K-edge XMCD spectrum suggest that orbital magnetic moments are closely related to the magnetic phase transition.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Electronic states in Cu2MnX (X=Al, In, and Sn) Heusler alloy studied by XMCD and multiple scattering calculations.

X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) has been measured at Mn and Cu K-edge in Cu2MnX (X=Al, In, and Sn) Heusler alloy. The Mn K-edge spectrum shows a dispersion-type profile and the Cu K-edge resembles the Mn spectrum, which suggests that polarization of the p unoccupied bands originates commonly in Mn 3d states. To reproduce the observed spectrum by full multiple scattering calculations. Madelung potential has been taken into account. Charge redistribution is an important factor for the electronic structure in Cu2MnX Heusler alloy.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Oxidative transformation of tert-cyclobutanols by palladium catalysis under oxygen atmosphere.

Palladium(II)-catalyzed oxidative reaction of tert-cyclobutanols involving the cleavage of a C-C bond via beta-carbon elimination under atmospheric pressure of oxygen is described. An alkylpalladium intermediate produced by beta-carbon elimination from a Pd(II) alcoholate gives a variety of products, depending on the substituents on the cyclobutane ring, in which reactions such as dehydrogenative ring opening, ring expansion and ring contraction are involved. For some substrates, the addition of a catalytic amount of ethyl acrylate dramatically accelerates the reaction. In all cases, the dehydrogenative products are obtained and the Pd(II)-hydride species produced at the final stage can be converted again to active Pd(II) species by molecular oxygen.

Journal Article↗
PubMed2001

Midterm results after ventricular septation for double-inlet left ventricle in early infancy.

We performed ventricular septation for a 40-day-old boy with double-inlet left ventricle and discordant ventriculoarterial connection but without pulmonary stenosis. Postoperative cardiac function is satisfactory, with no evidence of pulmonary hypertension or subaortic stenosis. Nine years after the operation, the patient has an active life, is free from symptoms, and requires no medication. He may be the first patient to survive ventricular septation for double-inlet left ventricle in early infancy.

Angiography↗
PubMed2001

Microbial-ecological significance of sulfide precipitation within anaerobic granular sludge revealed by micro-electrodes study.

Micro-electrodes were applied to anaerobic granular sludge, which was developed in a UASB reactor, to examine intra-granule profiles with respect to pH, glucose and sulfide. When glucose was employed as a bulk liquid substrate, the micro-electrodes study demonstrated the pH behavior along granule depth: pH decrement at the granule exterior portion due to acid formation (buildup of acidity), and subsequent pH increment at the granule inner portion due to the consumption of acid (buildup of alkalinity). Sulfide micro-electrode proved sulfate reduction that mostly occurred at the granule exterior portion. Chemical equilibrium consideration evidently explained the occurrence of ferric sulfide predominantly in the interior portion, which accounts well for the morphology of a representative double-layered structure of granules grown on a low level of sulfite. Inorganic elements distribution within anaerobic granule was examined by electron probe X-ray micro analysis (EPMA) and ICP methods. The presence of crystalline calcium carbonate (calcite) was identified by X-ray diffraction analysis.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗
PubMed2001

A novel transposon tagging element for obtaining gain-of-function mutants based on a self-stabilizing Ac derivative.

A novel tagging system AcREH, designed for obtaining gain-of-function mutations, was prepared on the basis of a self-stabilizing Ac transposon derivative. The transposable element, DsAT, was constructed in a way that it can activate transcription of neighboring genes by two 35S promoters and/or by four tandem repeats of the enhancer fragment of this promoter. DsAT revealed somatic excision in the first generation of the tobacco transformants. The element exhibited germinal excision to the next generation, as demonstrated by PCR and Southern hybridization analysis. In spite of the structure of the element, which may inhibit the expression of the transposase gene, the frequency of germinal excision was comparable to or higher than those so far reported, suggesting the applicability of the element for gene tagging.

Base Sequence↗