Examination of cryptotephrostratigraphy performed by recycling the residue from samples used in a paleoceanographic study of foraminiferal fossils from the MD01-2421 sediment core collected off the Kashima coast of East Japan

Residues from foraminiferal research samples from the MD01-2421 core collected off the Kashima coast, East Japan were used for cryptotephra detection. The esidues were carefully divided to maintain the foraminiferal community composition in the samples. As a result, data from 419 volcanic glass shards in the deposits from the top of the core to a depth of 9.5 cm were obtained, and cluster analysis was performed after normalizing the datasets. In one of the clusters with sample properties ranging from rhyolite to dacite, volcanic glass shards could be correlated to the As-A tephra that erupted from Mt. Asama, Central Japan in 1783 AD

Major-element composition of volcanic glass shards in late Quaternary tephras provided from the Asama volcano in An-naka and Tomioka area, Gunma Prefecture, central Japan

The Asama volcano group, the volcanic complex located in Gunma Prefecture, central Japan, produced tephra in the late Quaternary. This paper reports the major-element compositions of volcanic glass shards in the Asama A (As-A) tephra, Asama B (As-B) tephra, Asama C (As-C) tephra, Asama Yellow Pumice (As-YP) tephra, Asama Shiraito (As-Sr) tephra, Asama Ookubosawa1 (As-Ok1) tephra, and Asama Brown Pumice (As-BP) tephra group as determined by a wavelength dispersive electron probe microanalyzer (EPMA). The geochemistry of glass shards for each tephra was useful for correlating the distal tephra beds. The geochemistry of the lower part of the As-BP tephra group, named the Murota Pumice regionally, had distinctive features from the middle and upper parts of the As-BP tephra group. This result indicates that the source magma chamber of the lower part of the As-BP tephra group has changed or that the source of the lower part might have originally been different from that of the middle and upper parts. Theisopach of each unit in the As-BP tephra group, especially the lower unit in the As-BP tephra group, and the geochemical trend of volcanic glass shards in the Asama origin tephra before the As-BP tephra group should be revealed in the future

Neutron-capture elements in the metal-poor globular cluster M15

We report on observations of six giants in the globular cluster M15 (NGC 7078) using the Subaru Telescope to measure neutron-capture elemental abundances. Our abundance analyses based on high-quality blue spectra confirm the star-to-star scatter in the abundances of heavy neutron-capture elements (e.g., Eu), and no significant s-process contribution to them, as was found in previous studies. We have found, for the first time, that there are anti-correlations between the abundance ratios of light to heavy neutron-capture elements ([Y/Eu] and [Zr/Eu]) and heavy ones (e.g., Eu). This indicates that light neutron-capture elements in these stars cannot be explained by only a single r-process. Another process that has significantly contributed to the light neutron-capture elements is required to have occurred in M15. Our results suggest a complicated enrichment history for M15 and its progenitor.Comment: Accepted to ApJ

Characteristics of drift pumice clasts along the coast of the Japanese Islands: The AT tephra, representative source of drift pumice clasts

We analyzed the major element composition of volcanic glass shards in drift pumice clasts sampled from the Japanese coast before the 2021 eruption of Fukutoku-Oka-no-Ba (FOB). Consequently, it has been explained that the source volcanoes of some drift pumice clasts are Shikotsu, Toya, Towada, Hakone, Aso, Aira, Ata, Baegdusan volcanoes, and submarine volcanoes FOB and NNE of Iriomotejima (SVI). In particular, drift pumice clasts estimated from the Aira volcano were found in broad areas from the Amami-Oshima to the Shimokita Peninsula, the southern and northern limits of our sampling sites, respectively. Furthermore, the Aira-Tn tephra, erupted from Aira volcano, forming a wide pyroclastic flow plateau in the southern part of Kyushu Island. Therefore, we interpreted that the reworking process of pyroclastic flow deposits is one of the major mechanisms of the continuous supply of pumice clasts into the sea, regardless of whether volcanic activity continues. In addition, the presence of drift pumice clasts from the FOB and SVI suggests that pumice clasts from a single submarine volcanic eruption can remain on the coast for at least several tens to a hundred years

Pharmacokinetics of Beclomethasone Dipropionate in an Hydrofluoroalkane-134a Propellant System in Japanese Children with Bronchial Asthma

ABSTRACTBackgroundHydrofluoroalkane-134a (HFA) has been shown to be a safe replacement for chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) as a pharmaceutical propellant, with the advantage that it has no ozone-depleting potential. This is the first report of the pharmacokinetics of beclomethasone dipropionate (BDP) delivered from a pressurized solution formulation using an HFA propellant system (HFA-BDP) in Japanese children with bronchial asthma.MethodsPlasma concentrations of beclomethasone 17-monopropionate (17-BMP), a major metabolite of BDP, following an inhaled dose of HFA-BDP (200 μg as four inhalations from 50 μg/actuation) in five Japanese children with bronchial asthma were quantified and analyzed by a non-compartmental analysis to obtain pharmacokinetic parameters.ResultsThe area under the concentration-time curve from time zero to the last quantifiable time (AUC0-t) was 1659 ± 850 pg • h/mL (arithmetic mean ± standard deviation (SD)), the maximum concentration observed (Cmax) was 825 ± 453 pg/mL and the apparent elimination half-life (t1/2) was 2.1 ± 0.7 hours. The time to reach Cmax (Tmax) was 0.5 hours in all patients. No special relationship was observed between these parameters and age or body weight. These parameters were compared with the previously reported parameters of American children with bronchial asthma. The Japanese/American ratio of the geometric means of each parameter was 1.36 for AUC0-t, 1.04 for Cmax and 1.4 for t1/2. The median of Tmax was 0.5 hours in American patients as well as Japanese patients.ConclusionsThe pharmacokinetics of HFA-BDP in Japanese children with bronchial asthma are reported for the first time and a similarity to those in American children is suggested

Nurses' Practical Wisdom for the Support of Dementia Patients Among Hospital Outpatients

Purpose: To establish and understand nurses' practical wisdom and interventions of support for dementia and possible dementia patients at hospital outpatient wards. Methods: A qualitative design was used to collect data through semi-structured focus group interviews. The participants were 13 female nurses working at hospital outpatient wards.Data were analyzed using the KJ Method. Results: Seven themes symbolizing the properties of the final label were extracted as follows:‘Observation of patients with focused awareness, and are continuously engaged with their patients',‘Approach to the problems of the patients, and sensitively work to understand the worries of patients based on past cases of problems',‘Looking out for simple ways patients can look after themselves, implicitly and thoroughly, making the best use of the ways that patients are familiar with and which they are able to understand',‘Preparations for scheduled consultations by developing a network to assist with problem prevention and recording episodes about problems involving the patients',‘Requests for cooperation to continue treatment by choosing intermediaries/resources appropriately as based on the importance of the medical treatment',‘Responses that do not conflict with the feelings of the family by considering the possible reluctance of accepting that a family member has dementia', and‘Attitude not to blame matters on dementia by reflecting on how the environment and care ought to be'.’ Conclusion:Nurses' practical wisdom is a type of support provided for patients in a natural manner without being noticed as special or particular by the patients

Comparison of pain-relieving effects by number of irradiations, through propensity score matching and the international consensus endpoint

Background: Palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases utilizes various dose fractionation schedules. The pain-relieving effects of a single fraction (SF) and multiple fractions (MF) are largely debated due to the difficulty in matching patients’ backgrounds and in assessing the effectiveness of pain relief. This study aimed to compare the pain-relieving effects of SF and MF palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases using propensity score matching and the international consensus endpoint (ICE). Materials and methods: Our study included 195 patients irradiated for bone metastasis. The primary endpoint was the pain-relieving effects used by ICE. In addition, the evaluation was performed by using responder (complete response/partial response) and non-responder (pain progression/indeterminate response) categorization. The secondary endpoints were the discharge or transfer rate at one month after irradiation and postirradiation pathological fracture rate. Propensity score matching was used to adjust patient’s characteristics and reduce selection bias. Results: After adapting propensity score matching, the total number of patients was 74. There was no significant difference in the pain-relieving effects between SF and MF (p = 0.184). There were no significant differences in them between SF and MF when using responder and non-responder categorization (p = 0.163). Furthermore, there were no differences in the discharge or transfer rates (p = 0.693) and pathological fracture rates (p = 1.00). Conclusions: The combination of propensity score matching and ICE revealed no significant difference in the pain-relieving effects between SF and MF for bone metastases, thus, SF has no significant disadvantage compared to MF in pain-relieving effects

Epidemiology of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance in salmonella enterica serovar typhimurium isolates from food-producing animals in Japan

A total of 225 isolates of Salmonella enterica serovar Typhimurium from food-producing animals collected between 2003 and 2007 were examined for the prevalence of plasmid-mediated quinolone resistance (PMQR) determinants, namely qnrA, qnrB, qnrC, qnrD, qnrS, qepA and aac(6')Ib-cr, in Japan. Two isolates (0.8%) of S. Typhimurium DT104 from different dairy cows on a single farm in 2006 and 2007 were found to have qnrS1 on a plasmid of approximately 9.6-kbp. None of the S. Typhimurium isolates had qnrA, qnrB, qnrC, qnrD, qepA and acc(6')-Ib-cr. Currently in Japan, the prevalence of the PMQR genes among S. Typhimurium isolates from food animals may remain low or restricted. The PFGE profile of two S. Typhimurium DT104 isolates without qnrS1 on the farm in 2005 had an identical PFGE profile to those of two S. Typhimurium DT104 isolates with qnrS1. The PFGE analysis suggested that the already existing S. Typhimurium DT104 on the farm fortuitously acquired the qnrS1 plasmid

Patient-derived ovarian cancer organoids capture the genomic profiles of primary tumours applicable for drug sensitivity and resistance testing

The use of primary patient-derived organoids for drug sensitivity and resistance testing could play an important role in precision cancer medicine. We developed expandable ovarian cancer organoids in<3 weeks; these organoids captured the characteristics of histological cancer subtypes and replicated the mutational landscape of the primary tumours. Seven pairs of organoids (3 high-grade serous, 1 clear cell, 3 endometrioid) and original tumours shared 59.5% (36.1-73.1%) of the variants identified. Copy number variations were also similar among organoids and primary tumours. The organoid that harboured the BRCA1 pathogenic variant (p.L63*) showed a higher sensitivity to PARP inhibitor, olaparib, as well as to platinum drugs compared to the other organoids, whereas an organoid derived from clear cell ovarian cancer was resistant to conventional drugs for ovarian cancer, namely platinum drugs, paclitaxel, and olaparib. The overall success rate of primary organoid culture, including those of various histological subtypes, was 80% (28/35). Our data show that patient-derived organoids are suitable physiological ex vivo cancer models that can be used to screen effective personalised ovarian cancer drugs