CHROMOGRANIN A DETECTION IN SALIVA OF TYPE 2 DIABETES PATIENTS

Chromogranin A is present in secretion granules of nerve, endocrine and immune cells and is a precursor of several peptides with antibacterial and antifungal properties at micromolar concentrations.Our aim in this prospective, double blind study, was to determine the expression of chromogranin A and its peptides at protein level in saliva of type 2 diabetic patients and thereby to obtain a new non-invasive diagnostic means for the future.Saliva was taken from 30 type 2 diabetic patients and 30 healthy individuals at the same time interval in the morning without any oral stimuli. Circadianic periodics in protein productions have been avoided. The presence of chromogranin A and its derived peptides was determined in whole saliva, after centrifugation at 40C for 12 min at 14 000 rpm, by SDS-PAGE electrophoresis and Immunoblotting (Western Blot). To ensure same protein concentrations Bradford protein quantification assay has been performed before.For the first time, we have determined an overexpression of chromogranin A in saliva of diabetic patients in 100% of the individuals.Chromogranin A, a circulating biomarker for epithelial tumours, is also overexpressed in saliva of type 2 diabetic patients. To confirm our results, more studies with a large amount of patients is necessary

An Awareness of Japanese Crew in the EMS Helicopter on Organizational Management

Abstract. Kushiro city general hospital and Kojinkai Memorial Hospital started EMS Project on 5 October 2009. It had worked 14 times on 26 November, and save a lot of lives. The EMS helicopter plays an important role of regional differences in medication. The EMS operates three institutions -an Aviation Organization, a Medical Organization and a Fire Organization. However, the cooperation of labor doesn't happen in their division of labors. It does not make divide the work. This is because the EMS does not divide work and responsibilities clearly one solution is to have a common field of responsibility across the 3 organization order to improve cooperation. Since this study analyzes the EMS organization from the knowledge creation point of view. This paper is based on a month-long research study at hospital waiting rooms

Positron emission tomography assessments of phosphodiesterase 10A in patients with schizophrenia

[Background and hypothesis] Phosphodiesterase 10A (PDE10A) is a highly expressed enzyme in the basal ganglia, where cortical glutamatergic and midbrain dopaminergic inputs are integrated. Therapeutic PDE10A inhibition effects on schizophrenia have been reported previously, but the status of this molecule in the living patients with schizophrenia remains elusive. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the central PDE10A status in patients with schizophrenia and examine its relationship with psychopathology, cognition, and corticostriatal glutamate levels. [Study design] This study included 27 patients with schizophrenia, with 5 antipsychotic-free cases, and 27 healthy controls. Positron emission tomography with [18F]MNI-659, a specific PDE10A radioligand, was employed to quantify PDE10A availability by measuring non-displaceable binding potential (BPND) of the ligand in the limbic, executive, and sensorimotor striatal functional subregions, and in the pallidum. BPND estimates were compared between patients and controls while controlling for age and gender. BPND correlations were examined with behavioral and clinical measures, along with regional glutamate levels quantified by the magnetic resonance spectroscopy. [Study results] Multivariate analysis of covariance demonstrated a significant main effect of diagnosis on BPND (p = .03). A posthoc test showed a trend-level higher sensorimotor striatal BPND in patients, although it did not survive multiple comparison corrections. BPND in controls in this subregion was significantly and negatively correlated with the Tower of London scores, a cognitive subtest. Striatal or dorsolateral prefrontal glutamate levels did not correlate significantly with BPND in either group. [Conclusions] The results suggest altered striatal PDE10A availability and associated local neural dysfunctions in patients with schizophrenia

Heliocentric Distance Dependence of Zodiacal Light Observed by Hayabusa2#

Zodiacal light (ZL) is sunlight scattered by interplanetary dust particles (IDPs) at optical wavelengths. The spatial distribution of IDPs in the Solar System may hold an important key to understanding the evolution of the Solar System and material transportation within it. The number density of IDPs can be expressed as $n(r) \sim r^{-\alpha}$, and the exponent $\alpha \sim 1.3$ was obtained by previous observations from interplanetary space by Helios 1/2 and Pioneer 10/11 in the 1970s and 1980s. However, no direct measurements of $\alpha$ based on ZL observations from interplanetary space outside Earth's orbit have been performed since then. Here, we introduce initial results for the radial profile of the ZL at optical wavelengths observed over the range 0.76-1.06 au by ONC-T aboard the Hayabusa2# mission in 2021-2022. The ZL brightness we obtained is well reproduced by a model brightness, although there is a small excess of the observed ZL brightness over the model brightness at around 0.9 au. The radial power-law index we obtained is $\alpha = 1.30 \pm 0.08$, which is consistent with previous results based on ZL observations. The dominant source of uncertainty arises from the uncertainty in estimating the diffuse Galactic light (DGL).Comment: 22 pages, 19 figures, 4 tables, accepted for publication by Earth, Planets and Spac

Observation of low-latitude aurora by color digital cameras in Hokkaido

第3回極域科学シンポジウム/第36回極域宙空圏シンポジウム 11月26日（月）、27日（火） 国立極地研究所 2階ラウン

The effect of initial treatment on hearing prognosis in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss : a nationwide survey in Japan

Objective: To investigate the hearing prognosis of idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) treated with different initial therapies.Methods: Subjects consisted of patients diagnosed with idiopathic SSNHL within 7 days from onset and showing severe hearing loss (≥60 dB), who were registered in a Japanese multicenter database between April 2014 and March 2016. Subjects were divided into four groups according to initial therapy: (1) steroids, (2) steroids + Prostaglandins (PGs), (3) intratympanic steroids (ITS), and (4) no steroids. Hearing outcomes were compared among the groups.Results: In total, 1305 patients were enrolled. The final hearing level and hearing gain of patients treated with steroids + PGs were significantly higher than those of patients treated with steroids alone or no steroids. The ratio of good prognosis (complete recovery or marked improvement) in patients treated with steroids + PGs was higher than that in patients treated with steroids alone or no steroids. There was no difference in the prognosis of patients treated with steroids alone or no steroids.Conclusion: A large number of patients with idiopathic SSNHL were registered in a multicenter database. PG use in combination with steroid administration was associated with a good hearing prognosis in patients with severe hearing loss

Relationships among drinking and smoking habits, history of diseases, body mass index and idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss in Japanese patients

Objectives: To present the cardiovascular risk factors in idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) patients enrolled in a nationwide epidemiological survey of hearing disorders in Japan.Materials and methods: We compiled the cardiovascular risk factors in 3073 idiopathic SSNHL subjects (1621 men and 1452 women) and compared their proportions with controls as part of the National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan, 2014. The cardiovascular risk factors consisted of drinking and smoking habits, a history of five conditions related to cardiovascular disease and body mass index.Results: The proportion of current smokers was significantly higher among men aged 50–59, 60–69 and 70+ and among women aged 30–39, 40–49 and 60–69. The proportion of patients with a history of diabetes mellitus was significantly higher among men aged 50–59, 60–69 and 70+, but not in women. In addition, male and female SSNHL subjects aged 60–69 showed lower proportions of current drinking; and female SSNHL subjects aged 60–69 showed higher proportions of overweight (BMI ≥25 kg/m2).Conclusions: The present cross-sectional study revealed showed significantly higher proportions of current smokers among both men and women as well as those with a history of diabetes mellitus among men across many age groups in patients with idiopathic SSNHL compared with the controls

Idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss: a comparison of the results of a nationwide epidemiological survey in Japan

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the differences between idiopathic sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL), and acute low-tone sensorineural hearing loss (ALHL) using the results of a nationwide survey database in Japan and to analyze the variables associated with their clinical features and the severity of hearing impairment, treatment, and prognosis.Methods: Participants were patients registered between April 2014 and March 2016 in a multicenter epidemiological survey database involving 30 university hospitals and medical centers across Japan. Statistical analysis was performed to clarify the factors associated with their clinical characteristics and the severity of hearing impairment, treatment, and prognosis.Results: Idiopathic SSNHL and ALHL differed significantly in terms of male-to-female ratio, age distribution, and time from onset to start of treatment. The treatment methods and hearing prognosis also differed markedly between the two diseases. A majority (92%) of idiopathic SSNHL patients were administered some type of corticosteroid, while half of the ALHL patients received corticosteroids and a diuretic agent.Conclusion: The results suggested that idiopathic SSNHL and ALHL belonged to different categories of inner ear disease

Effect of enamel shades on color of layered resin composites

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effect of the covering enamel layer of various thicknesses on the color of layered resin composites (LRC). To this end, the CIELAB parameters of the following were evaluated: underlying base (ULB: 2.0 mm of body shade + 3.0 mm of opaque shade), inherent color of the enamel shade (4.0 mm of enamel shade + ULB), and LRC disks (0.5, 1.0, 2.0, 3.0 mm of enamel shade + ULB) of Filtek Supreme (FS, 3M) and Gradia Direct (GD, GC). To assess the effect of the enamel layer on the color of LRC, color difference between ULB and LRC was calculated. With FS, the enamel layer had no major effect on the color of LRC - regardless of thickness. With GD, the enamel layer had a significant effect on the color of LRC, even if the thickness was only 0.5 mm. The difference in enamel layer effect between the two products could be attributed to the difference in color characteristics of the two enamel shades