Sone Estuary Forever: Paradise for wild Birds and Living Fossil, Tri-spined Horseshoe Crab

大塚攻・向井宏・清野聡子・林修・高橋俊吾・清水則雄・足立賢太・近藤裕介（編）. 2020. NextPublishing Authors Press，東京. 110p. 978-4-802-09893-9，1990

What do health professionals think about patient safety?

Artikkel som besrkiver en studie hvor hensikten var å undersøke helsepersonell sitt syn på pasientsikkerhet i sykehus i Romania, og sammenligne funnene med resultater fra Norge, Sverige, Singapor og Australia.Patient safety is a main determinant of the quality of healthcare services. The literature shows that the occurrence of medical errors is quite important in countries where it has been measured. Various actions like legislative measures, financial, or educational measures may help, but they are not always effective in controlling the level of avoidable errors. That happens because patient safety is strongly related to the culture specific to healthcare organizations. This study is aimed at getting some perspective on the organizational culture in Romanian hospitals in regard to patient safety. Objectives: the main objectives are (1) to identify the views of healthcare professionals about patient safety in Romanian hospitals and compare them with other countries, (2) to identify to which extent the views about patient safety relate to the specific organizational culture in healthcare, and (3) find out if there are differences in perceptions of professional categories about their own work and that of the clinical team. Method: a survey was conducted, based on a questionnaire. The questionnaire was aimed at realizing a screening of the problem, to get some specific views of respondents from their work experience, and eventually to get suggestions on how to improve patient safety. The same questionnaire has been previously applied in four other countries: Australia, Singapore, Sweden and Norway. Overall views of hospital professionals from Romania were compared to those from the other countries. Also, views per professional categories —clinical vs. non-clinical staff, doctors vs. nurses, and senior vs. junior staff—were compared. Results: answers from 100 respondents from Romania indicate that patient safety is a major concern of hospital professionals, and it should be improved. Basically, they show as much interest and willingness to improve as observed in the other countries. This indicates that no major differences in the organizational culture exist in regard to patient safety. However, differences among professional categories have been noticed; for example, nurses are more aware than doctors on the need to take action for improving patient safety. Conclusions: patient safety is a major concern of health policy in many countries. In Romania, this study shows concern of professionals about patient safety, although they are facing many barriers such as inadequate leadership, lack of communication between professional categories, between senior and junior staff, and most of all with the patients. This is a problem of organizational culture, which requires complex, multi-level strategies, targeting a longterm change. Results of this initial study should be viewed as a baseline for a larger study

Risk of Gynecologic Cancer as Second versus First Primary Cancer in Japan

This study aimed to determine whether the risk conferred by gynecologic cancer (GC) as second primary cancer (SPC) differs from that associated with GC as first primary cancer (FPC). We investigated the correlations between FPC/SPC and the characteristics and prognoses of 1,645 GC patients (701 with cervical cancer [CC], 641 with endometrial cancer [EM], and 303 with ovarian cancer [OV]). The χ2 test and the Kaplan–Meier method were used to determine whether FPC/SPC and the characteristics and prognoses of GC patients. Of the SPC patients, 26 (3.7%) had CC, 53 (8.3%) had EM, and 31 (10.2%) had OV. The most common previous cancer type in SPC of GC patients was breast cancer, which was observed in 13 patients (50.0%) with CC, 23 (43.4%) with EM, and 16 (51.6%) with OV. In all patients with CC, EM, and OV as SPC, the stage was significantly associated with recurrence. There were no significant differences in the morbidity or mortality of CC, EM, or OV patients between those with FPC and those with SPC. The risk of SPC development in GC patients varied, ranging from 3.5% (CC) to 10.3% (OV) of patients

The presence of chronic diseases contributes to the occurrence risk factors for gynecological cancers in Japan

The aim of the present study was to determine whether chronic diseases (CD), such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, dyslipidemia, heart diseases and cerebrovascular diseases, are occurrence risk factors and affect the survival of patients with gynecological cancers (GC). The correlations between CD and the characteristics and survival of 1,590 GC patients [685 with cervical cancer (CC), 613 with endometrial cancer (EM) and 292 with ovarian cancer (OV)] were investigated in the present study. Of the CD patients, 189 had CC (27.6%), 265 had EM (43.2%) and 72 had OV (24.7%). The incidence of CD increased with age in GC patients. The number of CD patients aged ≥70 years, was 8.6‑fold higher in the CC group, 3.0‑fold higher in the EM group, and 9.6‑fold higher in the OV group compared with those aged 24% of the occurrence risk factors in GC patients in Japan

Porphyromonas endodontalisが産生する新規のアスパラギン酸特異的ジペプチジルペプチダーゼの解析

Porphyromonas endodontalis, a black-pigmented anaerobe, is a predominant pathogen of human periapical periodontitis. In contrast to P. gingivalis, a major pathogen of chronic periodontitis, the pathogenic factor(s) of P. endodontalis has been poorly characterized. In this study, the protease activities in the P. endodontalis extracellular fraction were examined using various MCA polypeptides. The results indicated that the extracellular fraction had a spectrum of proteolytic activities distinct from that of P. gingivalis, and that Ala- and Asp-specific proteolytic activities were substantially present in the extracellular fraction. Then, the extracellular fraction was subjected to ion-exchange chromatography. The Asp-specific proteolytic activity was eluted from a DEAE-Sephacel column separately from the Ala-specific one, and the fraction was designated as the DEAE-purified fraction. The further experiments on the effects of protease inhibitors also suggested that the DEAE-purified fraction contains a novel Asp-specific dipeptidylpeptidase. It was confirmed by the MALDI-TOF MS analyses on the substrate preference using neuromedin B and a series of synthetic neuromedin B analogues. Taken together, P. endodontalis possesses a novel Asp-specific dipeptidylpeptidase in the extracellular fraction, which could be involved in an important etiologic process in the specific pathological potential of this organisms in human periapical periodontitis

Prediction of Sound Pressure Level of Turbulent Noise Generated from Multiple-Disk Fans

We proposed a theory for estimating the spectral density distribution and over all sound pressure level of the turbulent noise radiated from multiple-disk fans. In the theory, correlations between the longitudinal and lateral correlation lengths, and the pressure spectral densities were used. The effects of casing on the radiated noise were experimentally made clear by comparing the spectral density distributions with and without casing. The validity of theoretically obtained formula was examined with respect to the effects of such parameters as; the gap between two disks, the rotational frequency, the number of disks, the thickness of disks, the radius of impeller and the flow rate. The agreement between the theoretical and the experimental results was fairly satisfactory

Hard Alloys with High Content of WC and TiC—Deposited by Arc Spraying Process

Obtained by different spraying technologies: in atmospheric plasma spray, High Velocity Oxygen Fuel (HVOF) or laser cladding, the layers of hard alloys with a high content of WC and TiC find their industrial applications due to their high hardness and resistance to wear. Recognized as being a process associated with welding, the arc spraying process is a method applied industrially both in obtaining new surfaces and for reconditioning worn ones. This chapter presents the technology for obtaining ultra-hard layers based on WC and TiC - by the arc spraying process, using a classic spray device equipped with a conical nozzle system and tubular wire additional material containing ultra-hard compounds (WC, TiC). To study both the quality of deposits and the influence of thermal spray process parameters on the properties of deposits with WC and TiC content, we approached various investigative techniques, such as optical scanning microscopy (SEM), X-ray diffraction, and determination of adhesion, porosity, Vickers micro-hardness and wear resistance

A type III effector protease NleC from enteropathogenic Escherichia coli targets NF-κB for degradation.

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