OBJECTIVES The arterial pressure-volume index (API) is a non-invasive assessment of arterial stiffness, and is suggested as a useful predictor of future cardiovascular events. The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of low-frequency and low-intensity ultrasound applied to the forearm for 10 min on the API in Japanese subjects with type 2 diabetes and hypertension. METHODS We...

We have simulated effects of a shock wave in water that would result from the collapse of a cavitation bubble on binding in model complexes. We have considered a benzene dimer, a pair of uracil molecules, a complex of fragments of the X-linked inhibitor of apoptosis and caspase-9, and a fragment of c-Myc oncoprotein in binding with its dimerization partner Max. The effect of the shock waves was...

A comparative study of ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) and hydro-distillation was performed for fast extraction of estragole from tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) dried leaves. Several influential parameters of the UAE procedure in the extraction of estragole (type of solvent, extraction cycles, solvent to material ratio, irradiation time and particle size) were investigated and optimiz...

Objectives. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of hematoporphyrin monomethyl ether- (HMME-) mediated sonodynamic therapy (SDT) on experimental periodontal disease in rats. Methods. Periodontal disease was induced by submerging ligatures at the first maxillary molar subgingival region in forty-eight male SD rats. After 30 days, the ligatures were removed. The rats were randomly allocated i...

Sonodynamic therapy is expected to be a novel therapeutic strategy for malignant gliomas. The titanium dioxide (TiO(2)) nanoparticle, a photosensitizer, can be activated by ultrasound. In this study, by using water-dispersed TiO(2) nanoparticles, an in vitro comparison was made between the photodynamic and sonodynamic damages on U251 human glioblastoma cell lines. Water-dispersed TiO(2) nanopar...

Micron-sized liquid perfluorocarbon (PFC) droplets are currently being investigated as activatable agents for medical imaging and cancer therapy. After injection into the bloodstream, superheated PFC droplets can be vaporized to a gas phase for ultrasound imaging, or for cancer therapy via targeted drug delivery and vessel occlusion. Droplet vaporization has been previously demonstrated using a...

This study is undertaken to design zinc-stabilized gelatin nano-complexes of tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) for thrombolytic therapy where the t-PA activity can be recovered in the blood circulation upon ultrasound irradiation. Various molecular weights of gelatin were complexed with t-PA by their simply mixing in aqueous solution. Then, zinc acetate, calcium acetate or magnesium acet...

Abstract The formation of amyloid fibrils various amyloidogenic proteins is dramatically enhanced by ultrasound irradiation. To apply this phenomenon to the study protein aggregation science and diagnosis neurodegenerative diseases, a multichannel irradiation system with individually adjustable conditions necessary. Here, we develop sonochemical reaction system, where an ultrasonic transducer p...

Spectral optoacoustic (OA) imaging enables spatially-resolved measurement of blood oxygenation levels, based on the distinct optical absorption spectra of oxygenated and de-oxygenated blood. Wavelength-dependent optical attenuation in the bulk tissue, however, distorts the acquired OA spectrum and thus makes quantitative oxygenation measurements challenging. We demonstrate a correction for this...