62 research outputs found
Solar Energetic Particle Events with Short and Long Onset Times
Gradual solar energetic particle (SEP) events, usually attributed to shock
waves driven by coronal mass ejections (CMEs), show a wide variety of temporal
behaviors. For example, TO, the >10 MeV proton onset time with respect to the
launch of the CME, has a distribution of at least an order of magnitude, even
when the source region is not far from the so-called well-connected longitudes.
It is important to understand what controls TO, especially in the context of
space weather prediction. Here we study two SEP events from the western
hemisphere that are different in TO on the basis of >10 MeV proton data from
the Geostationary Operations Environmental Satellite, despite similar in the
CME speed and longitude of the source regions. We try to find the reasons for
different TO, or proton release times, in how the CME-driven shock develops and
the Alfv\'en Mach number of the shock wave reaches some threshold, by combining
the CME height-time profiles with radio dynamic spectra. We also discuss how
CME-CME interactions and active region properties may affect proton release
times.Comment: 14 pages, 8 figures, accepted for publication in Ap
Mineralocorticoid receptor stimulation induces urinary storage dysfunction via upregulation of epithelial sodium channel expression in the rat urinary bladder epithelium
AbstractWe aimed to evaluate mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) expression in rat bladder and the physiological role of the MR-epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) pathway in controlling bladder function in 10–12-week-old, male Sprague–Dawley rats. First, we examined the mRNA expression of MR and localization of MR and ENaC-α proteins in the urinary bladder. MR mRNA expression was observed in untreated-rat urinary bladders, and MR and ENaC-α proteins were localized in the epithelium. Next, rats were treated with vehicle (controls) or fludrocortisone (an MR agonist) for 3 days, and ENaC-α protein expression levels and bladder function were evaluated on day 4. ENaC-α protein expression was significantly higher in fludrocortisone-treated rats than in controls. In addition, cystometry was performed during intravesical infusion of saline and amiloride (an ENaC inhibitor). While intercontraction intervals (ICIs) during saline infusion were significantly shorter in the fludrocortisone group than in the controls, infusion of amiloride normalized the ICIs in the fludrocortisone group. However, no intra- or inter-group differences in maximum intravesical pressure were observed. Taken together, MR protein is localized in the rat urinary bladder epithelium, and may regulate ENaC expression and bladder afferent input. The MR-ENaC pathway may be a therapeutic target for ameliorating storage symptoms
Galaxy Morphologies Revealed with Subaru HSC and Super-Resolution Techniques II: Environmental Dependence of Galaxy Mergers at z~2-5
We super-resolve the seeing-limited Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) images for
32,187 galaxies at z~2-5 in three techniques, namely, the classical
Richardson-Lucy (RL) point spread function (PSF) deconvolution, sparse
modeling, and generative adversarial networks to investigate the environmental
dependence of galaxy mergers. These three techniques generate overall similar
high spatial resolution images but with some slight differences in galaxy
structures, for example, more residual noises are seen in the classical RL PSF
deconvolution. To alleviate disadvantages of each technique, we create combined
images by averaging over the three types of super-resolution images, which
result in galaxy sub-structures resembling those seen in the Hubble Space
Telescope images. Using the combined super-resolution images, we measure the
relative galaxy major merger fraction corrected for the chance projection
effect, f_merg, for galaxies in the ~300 deg^2-area data of the HSC Strategic
Survey Program and the CFHT Large Area U-band Survey. Our f_merg measurements
at z~3 validate previous findings showing that f_merg is higher in regions with
a higher galaxy overdensity delta at z~2-3. Thanks to the large galaxy sample,
we identify a nearly linear increase in f_merg with increasing delta at z~4-5,
providing the highest-z observational evidence that galaxy mergers are related
to delta. In addition to our f_merg measurements, we find that the galaxy
merger fractions in the literature also broadly align with the linear
f_merg-delta relation across a wide redshift range of z~2-5. This alignment
suggests that the linear f_merg-delta relation can serve as a valuable tool for
quantitatively estimating the contributions of galaxy mergers to various
environmental dependences. This super-resolution analysis can be readily
applied to datasets from wide field-of-view space telescopes such as Euclid and
Roman.Comment: 29 pages, 13 figures, 6 tables. Submitted to PASJ. Comments welcom
Predictors of Hypotension after Adrenalectomy for Pheochromocytoma
The management of blood pressure is a significant concern for surgeons and anesthesiologists performing adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma. We evaluated clinical factors in pheochromocytoma patients to identify the predictors of postoperative hypotension. The medical records of patients who underwent adrenalectomy for pheochromocytoma between 2001 and 2017 were retrospectively reviewed and clinical and biochemical data were evaluated. Of 29 patients, 13 patients needed catecholamine support in the perisurgical period while 16 patients did not. There were significant differences in median age, tumor size, and blood pressure drop (maxmin) between the 2 groups (68 vs 53 years old, p=0.045; 50 vs 32 mm diameter, p=0.022; 110 vs 71 mmHg, p=0.015 respectively). In univariate logistic analysis, age > 65.5 years, tumor size > 34.5 mm, urine metanephrine > 0.205 mg/day and urine normetanephrine > 0.665 mg/day were significant predictors of prolonged hypotension requiring postoperative catecholamine support. Tumor size and urine metanephrine and urine normetanephrine levels were correlated with postoperative hypotension. These predictors may help in the safe perioperative management of pheochromocytoma patients treated with adrenalectomy
A Case of Paragonimus westermani Infection by Eating Imperfectly Cooked Wild Boar Flesh
A 19 year old woman was admitted because of abnormal chest X-ray showing smoothly outlined cystic lesion. The eggs of Paragonimus westermani was identified in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid. Anti-Paragonimus westermani antibody was positive in the serum by the ELISA method. Six eggs were observed in one gram of feces before the administration of praziquantel. Praziquantel (75mg/kg) was administered for two day, the egg of Paragonimus westermani disappeared in the feces and the size of cystic lesion in the chest X-ray decreased
Attitudes and behaviors of Japanese physicians concerning withholding and withdrawal of life-sustaining treatment for end-of-life patients: results from an Internet survey
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Evidence concerning how Japanese physicians think and behave in specific clinical situations that involve withholding or withdrawal of medical interventions for end-of-life or frail elderly patients is yet insufficient.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>To analyze decisions and actions concerning the withholding/withdrawal of life-support care by Japanese physicians, we conducted cross-sectional web-based internet survey presenting three scenarios involving an elderly comatose patient following a severe stroke. Volunteer physicians were recruited for the survey through mailing lists and medical journals. The respondents answered questions concerning attitudes and behaviors regarding decision-making for the withholding/withdrawal of life-support care, namely, the initiation/withdrawal of tube feeding and respirator attachment.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 304 responses analyzed, a majority felt that tube feeding should be initiated in these scenarios. Only 18% felt that a respirator should be attached when the patient had severe pneumonia and respiratory failure. Over half the respondents felt that tube feeding should not be withdrawn when the coma extended beyond 6 months. Only 11% responded that they actually withdrew tube feeding. Half the respondents perceived tube feeding in such a patient as a "life-sustaining treatment," whereas the other half disagreed. Physicians seeking clinical ethics consultation supported the withdrawal of tube feeding (OR, 6.4; 95% CI, 2.5–16.3; P < 0.001).</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Physicians tend to harbor greater negative attitudes toward the withdrawal of life-support care than its withholding. On the other hand, they favor withholding invasive life-sustaining treatments such as the attachment of a respirator over less invasive and long-term treatments such as tube feeding. Discrepancies were demonstrated between attitudes and actual behaviors. Physicians may need systematic support for appropriate decision-making for end-of-life care.</p
Systematic Cys mutagenesis of FlgI, the flagellar P-ring component of Escherichia coli
The bacterial flagellar motor is embedded in the cytoplasmic membrane, and penetrates the peptidoglycan layer and the outer membrane. A ring structure of the basal body called the P ring, which is located in the peptidoglycan layer, is thought to be required for smooth rotation and to function as a bushing. In this work, we characterized 32 cysteine-substituted Escherichia coli P-ring protein FlgI variants which were designed to substitute every 10th residue in the 346 aa mature form of FlgI. Immunoblot analysis against FlgI protein revealed that the cellular amounts of five FlgI variants were significantly decreased. Swarm assays showed that almost all of the variants had nearly wild-type function, but five variants significantly reduced the motility of the cells, and one of them in particular, FlgI G21C, completely disrupted FlgI function. The five residues that impaired motility of the cells were localized in the N terminus of FlgI. To demonstrate which residue(s) of FlgI is exposed to solvent on the surface of the protein, we examined cysteine modification by using the thiol-specific reagent methoxypolyethylene glycol 5000 maleimide, and classified the FlgI Cys variants into three groups: well-, moderately and less-labelled. Interestingly, the well- and moderately labelled residues of FlgI never overlapped with the residues known to be important for protein amount or motility. From these results and multiple alignments of amino acid sequences of various FlgI proteins, the highly conserved region in the N terminus, residues 1–120, of FlgI is speculated to play important roles in the stabilization of FlgI structure and the formation of the P ring by interacting with FlgI molecules and/or other flagellar components
Feasibility of Laparoscopic Radical Cystectomy in Elderly Patients: A Comparative Analysis of Clinical Outcomes in a Single Institution
Laparoscopic radical cystectomy (LRC) is a standard surgical treatment for muscle-invasive bladder cancer and high-risk non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer. LRC is a less invasive modality than conventional open surgery. Therefore, even elderly patients with invasive bladder cancer may be candidates for LRC. In this study, a comparative analysis of perioperative/oncological outcomes between elderly patients and younger patients who underwent LRC was performed to assess the feasibility of LRC in elderly patients. Sixty-eight consecutive patients who underwent LRC between October 2013 and March 2018 were enrolled and stratified into those younger than 75 years (n=37) and those ≥ 75 years old (n=31). The median follow-up period was 28.2 months. The preoperative and operative parameters and complications were similar in both groups. The 2-year overall survival (OS) was 64.4% in the younger vs. 76.4% in the elderly group (p=0.053), cancer-specific survival (CSS) was 79.3% vs. 81.7% (p=0.187), and recurrence-free survival (RFS) was 58.2% vs. 75.7% (p=0.174), respectively. No significant differences were observed in OS, CSS, or RFS between the groups. No significant differences were found between the groups with respect to peri-surgical/oncological outcomes. We conclude that LRC is feasible in elderly patients
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