Diffusion-weighted imaging is extremely useful in detecting CJD during the very early phase-even before the onset of characteristic clinical findings.

No abstract

Ghrelin, a novel growth hormone-releasing peptide, has been shown to cause a positive energy balance by reducing fat use and stimulating food intake. This study investigated whether plasma ghrelin is associated with clinical parameters in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Plasma ghrelin was measured in 50 patients and 13 control subjects, together with anabolic and catabolic factors. Patients were divided into two groups based on body mass index: underweight patients (n = 26) or normal weight patients (n = 24). Plasma ghrelin was significantly higher in underweight patients than in normal weight patients and healthy control subjects. Circulating tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interleukin-6, and norepinephrine were significantly higher in underweight patients than in normal weight patients. Plasma ghrelin correlated negatively with body mass index and correlated positively with catabolic factors such as tumor necrosis factor-alpha and norepinephrine. In addition, plasma ghrelin correlated positively with percent predicted residual volume and residual volume-to-total lung capacity ratio. In conclusion, plasma ghrelin was elevated in underweight patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the level was associated with a cachectic state and abnormality of pulmonary function.

[1] This study developed an algorithm for estimating solar radiation from space using a neural network (NN) with an improved learning algorithm to approximate radiative transfer code. The NN solver for the solar radiation budget is based on radiative transfer calculations. All data sets for testing and training the NN were generated from radiative transfer code. Thus the NN traces the radiative transfer calculation that is approximated by a learning algorithm. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the NN approach for high-speed estimation and multiparameter problems, the NN was applied to data from a geostationary satellite and a Sun-synchronous subrecurrent orbit satellite. The developed algorithm was applied to data from the Multi-functional Transport Satellite-1 Replacement (MTSAT-1R) geostationary satellite, and estimations were validated against in situ observations for March 2006 at four SKYNET sites. Byproducts of the algorithm include UVA, UVB, and photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) fluxes as well as direct and diffuse components. The NN approach enables semi-real-time analysis of these products by high-speed calculation. In addition, the NN allows for consideration of detailed particle optical parameters in the solar radiation budget without the need for a massive database. The method was also applied to observations from the Advanced Earth Observing Satellite-II/Global Imager (ADEOS-II/GLI) for May 2003. The results showed trends in the direct and diffuse components of downward solar radiation over the North Pacific Ocean. This report outlines the construction of the NN for radiation budget estimation and demonstrates the effectiveness of the NN approach.

The mechanism by which glucocorticoids govern antiproteinuric effect in nephrotic syndrome remains unknown. Present study examined the protective role of dexamethasone (DEX) in the intracellular trafficking of nephrin under endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress. Human embryonic kidney-293 cell line expressing a full-length human nephrin was cultured in mediums containing 5.5 or 25 mM glucose with or without DEX. The result revealed that glucose starvation evoked a rapid ER stress leading to formation of underglycosylated nephrin that was remained in the ER as a complex with calreticulin/calnexin. DEX rescued this interfered trafficking through binding to its receptor and stimulating the mitochondrial transcripts and adenosine 5' triphosphate (ATP) production, leading to synthesis of fully glycosylated nephrin. These results suggest that ER-stress in podocytes may cause alteration of nephrin N-glycosylation, which may be an underlying factor in the pathomechanism of the proteinuria in nephrotic syndrome. DEX may restore this imbalance by stimulating expression of mitochondrial genes, resulted in the production of ATP that is essential factor for proper folding machinery aided by the ER chaperones.