Case of Unilateral Peripheral Cone Dysfunction

Purpose: Peripheral cone dystrophy is a subgroup of cone dystrophy, and only 4 cases have been reported. We present a patient with unilateral peripheral cone dysfunction and report the functional changes determined by electrophysiological tests and ultrastructural changes determined by spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT). Case: A 34-year-old woman complained of blurred vision in both eyes. Our examination showed that her visual acuity was 0.05 OD and 0.2 OS. A relative afferent pupillary defect was present in her right eye. The results of slit-lamp examination, ophthalmoscopy, and fluorescein angiography were normal except for pallor of the right optic disc. SD-OCT showed a diffuse thinning of the retina in the posterior pole of the right eye. A severe constriction of the visual fields was found in both eyes but more in the right eye. The photopic full-field electroretinograms (ERGs) were reduced in the right eye but normal in the left eye. The multifocal ERGs were severely reduced throughout the visual field except in the central area of the right eye. The multifocal ERGs from the left eye were normal. The pattern visual evoked responses were within the normal range in both eyes. She had a 5-year history of sniffing paint thinner. Results: Although the visual dysfunction was initially suspected to be due to psychological problems from the results of subjective tests, objective tests indicated a peripheral cone dysfunction in the right eye. The pathophysiological mechanism and the relationship with thinner sniffing were not determined. Conclusions: Our findings indicate that peripheral cone dysfunction can occur unilaterally. Electrophysiology and SD-OCT are valuable tests to perform to determine the pathogenesis of unusual ocular findings objectively

Bone microstructural characteristics or positional changes of condyle head affect short-term condyle head resorption after orthognathic surgery

Miyagawa K., Arikawa C., Hayashi K., et al. Bone microstructural characteristics or positional changes of condyle head affect short-term condyle head resorption after orthognathic surgery. Scientific Reports 14, 14269 (2024); https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-65077-2.Condylar resorption occurs in some cases after orthognathic surgery, and the risk factors associated with postoperative condylar head resorption have been extensively described. Nevertheless, even in cases with a combination of risk factors, postoperative condylar resorption may not appear. This study analyzed the microstructure and three-dimensional positional change of the condylar bone via imaging in patients who have undergone bimaxillary orthognathic surgery to determine whether the microstructure or condylar position differs between patients with and without postoperative condylar resorption. Among asymptomatic patients who underwent bimaxillary surgery between April 2021 and March 2022 at our department, 17 patients were analyzed, limited to “female,” “skeletal Class II,” and “high-angle cases,” which are known risk factors for mandibular head resorption. Multidetector computed tomography was performed on these patients before and 6 months after surgery, and the bone microstructure of the condylar head and the three-dimensional positional changes of the condylar bone and the proximal bony fragments were compared with the presence of postoperative condyle resorption using the bone morphology software TRI/3D-BON. Patients with condylar bone abnormalities before surgery and those with high trabecular bone density can develop postoperative resorption if the condyle is misaligned by surgery

Intestinal microbiota transplantation reveals the role of microbiota in dietary regulation of RegIII beta and RegIII gamma expression in mouse intestine

RegIII beta and RegIII gamma are antimicrobial peptides expressed in intestinal epithelial cells. Expression of these peptides is reportedly decreased by high-fat diet (HFD) and increased by indigestible oligosaccharides in mice. Clearly, these dietary regimens change the structure of intestinal microbiota. We employed an intestinal microbiota transplantation (IMT) to test whether diet-induced changes in the expression of these peptides are mediated by gut microbiota. C57BL/61 mice were fed either a normal-fat diet (NFD), a HFD, or a NFD supplemented with or without 1-kestose (KES), an indigestible oligosaccharide. Ileal RegIII beta and RegIII gamma mRNA levels were lower in mice receiving IMT from HFD-fed mice than in those receiving NFD-fed mice and higher in mice receiving IMT from KES-supplemented mice than in those receiving the mice without KES supplementation. Western blot analysis showed that serum RegIII beta levels changed in parallel with the ileal mRNA levels. We propose that HFD- and KES-induced changes in the ileal RegIII beta and RegIII gamma expression and in the circulating RegIII beta levels are mediated, at least in part, by intestinal microbiota. (C) 2020 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved

An Empirical Study on Leadership of Chief Nurses in Hospitals

本研究は、看護場面における婦長のリーダーシップ行動の測定尺度の構成を試みたものである。第一線監督者である婦長とスタッフナースに婦長の管理・監督行動に関する自由記述を求め、それを分類整理しリーダーシップ行動を測定するための質問項目を作成した。項目作成にあたっては、リーダーシップ行動が網羅的に含まれることを期した。最終的に、リーダーシップ項目として80項目を選定し、それに集団力学研究所の「職場における健康度調査」のモラール要因40項目を加え、計120項目からなる調査票を作成した。調査対象は、私立N大学附属病院の看護職員414名である。リーダーシップ行動測定項目を因子分析した結果、目標達成、集団維持、育成指導、話し合い・援助の4因子が見い出された。尺度構成のため、目標達成行動、集団維持行動について、各々下位因子として4因子を設定し、各因子に5項目ずつを選定した。尺度の妥当性検討のため、モラール要因との数量化3類による分析を行なった。その結果、目標達成、集団維持とも高得点を示す群は、一群をなし、しかもモラール要因の高得点群と近接しており、妥当性が高いことが確かめられた

Path Analysis of Organization Climate Inventory

本研究は、仕事に対する意欲を規定するモラール要因を、パス解析によって明らかにすることを試みたものである。分析対象は、民間企業、地方自治体の男子職員(管理職・一般職)1,220名である。仕事に対する意欲を直接的に規定するものは、1)仕事の自律性、2)会社満足度、3)仕上のストレス、4)チームワーク、5)仕事の目標設定であった。給与満足度は会社満足度を、業績規範はチームワーク及び仕事上のストレスを、ミーティングはコミュニケーション、仕事の自律性を通して、仕事に対する意欲を規定することが明らかとなった。また相互に規定しあうものは、給与満足度、ミーティングとコミュニケーション、業績規範とチームワーク、仕事の自律性と仕事上のストレスであった

A Reference Laboratory Surveillance on Fungal Isolates from Patients with Haematological Malignancy in Japan

Invasive fungal disease (IFD) in patients with haematological disorders is a fatal disease, making rapid identification and treatment crucial. However, the identification of the causative fungus is often difficult, sometimes even impossible. There have been few reports concerning the causative species of IFD. This study aimed to investigate the epidemiology and causative organism of IFD in patients with haematological diseases in Japan. We analyzed the IFD cases among the patients with haematological malignancies identified at the Medical Mycological Research Center, Chiba University, between 2013 and 2019. The most common underlying disease was acute myeloid leukaemia (34.3%). Forty-six point one percent of IFD patients received haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The major pathogens were Aspergillus, Candida, and Fusarium. Aspergillus fumigatus was the most common Aspergillus species, and Candida fermentati and Fusarium petroliphilum were the most common Candida and Fusarium species, respectively, in this analysis. Furthermore, various cryptic species and non-albicans Candida were identified. The drug susceptibility of such relatively rare strains suggests that analysis of the causative fungi should provide valuable information for therapeutic options. Therefore, our study indicated that it is clinically significant to identify the organism in as much detail as possible