Review of meta-analyses on prevention of the common cold

かぜ症候群は誰でもしばしば罹患する疾患であり，自然治癒する疾患であるが，症状は数日続き，欠席や欠勤が余儀なくされる場合もある。かぜ症候群の予防について，現時点で，どの程度のエビエンスが蓄積されているかを検討するために，かぜ症候群の予防に関するメタ解析論文をレビューした。PubMed でかぜ症候群（インフルエンザを含む）の予防に関するメタ解析論文で，2007年以降に発表され，2017年12月末に検索可能な英語で発表されたものを検索した。プロバイオティクス，ビタミンD，エキナセアは２報以上メタ解析がなされており，かぜ症候群に対する有意な予防効果が示されていた。メタ解析が１報だけであるが，予防効果が認められた薬剤には漢方薬であるペラルゴニウム（ゼラニウム），亜鉛含有薬，多価機械的細菌溶解物があった。また，手指衛生とマスク着用，運動，そして，湿気とカビによる建物損傷の改修も，かぜ症候群の予防に有効と報告されていた。ビタミンC 等，予防効果があると考えられるものの，有意差が認められていないものもあり，今後さらなる検討が必要である。The common cold is frequently treated by family physicians. Although it is generally benign, the symptoms can last for several days, causing missed work and study days. To examine prevention of this condition, we searched the English literature for meta-analyses on prevention of the common cold including influenza on PubMed from 2007 to the end of 2017. There were at least two or more meta-analyses on probiotics, vitamin D, and echinacea, and all of them showed significant preventive effects of these agents. Although one meta-analysis showed that pelargonium, zinc, polyvalent mechanical bacterial lysate, hand hygiene and wearing masks, exercise, and repairing buildings damaged by dampness and mould offered significant preventive effects, vitamin C had only a marginal effect on prevention. Further examinations are needed to clarify the effects of various measures to prevent the common cold

Search for Tetraneutron by Pion Double Charge Exchange Reaction at J-PARC

Tetraneutron ($^4n$) has come back in the limelight, because of recent observation of a candidate resonant state at RIBF. We propose to investigate the pion double charge exchange (DCX) reaction, i.e. $^4\mathrm{He}({\pi}^- , {\pi}^+)$, as an alternative way to populate tetraneutron. An intense ${\pi}^-$ beam with the kinetic energy of ~850 MeV, much higher than that in past experiments at LAMPF and TRIUMF, will open up a possibility to improve the experimental sensitivity of the formation cross section, which will be much smaller than hitherto known DCX cross sections such as $^9\mathrm{Be}({\pi}^-, {\pi}^+)^9\mathrm{He}\ (g.s.)$.Comment: 4 pages, 1 figure; proceedings of the 14th International Conference on Meson-Nucleon Physics and the Structure of the Nucleon (MENU2016), Kyoto, Japan, 25-30 July 201

Impending Gastric Rupture in a Neonate with Gastric Outlet Obstruction due to Malrotation

This is a case report of a neonate with impending gastric rupture due to malrotation with gastric outlet obstruction. A preoperative plain abdominal X-ray showed expansion of the gastric bubble. A barium meal demonstrated an unusual bulging of the gastric wall extending from the fundus to the body of the stomach on the greater curvature side and malrotation of the duodenal loop. At operation a malrotation with volvulus and a rupture of the seromuscular layer with bulging of the mucosa in the stomach was found. We think that this unusual bulging of the gastric wall in the barium meal is an important radiological sign of impending gastric rupture

Dose the Spread of COVID-19 Affect the Physical Health Management of University Staffs ?: Data from Annual Health Checkups

新型コロナウイルス感染拡大により生活様式が変化したが，新型コロナウイルス感染拡大が大学職員の健康管理に及ぼした影響は明らかでない。本研究では40歳以上の大学職員1608名を対象に，新型コロナウイルス感染拡大前後の職員健康診断データを比較検討した。年齢を調整すると，感染拡大前と比較して，感染拡大後ではALT（β= 0.04, P = 0.02），HDL コレステロール（β= -0.07, P = 0.0002），LDL コレステロール（β= 0.04, P = 0.02）が悪化した一方で，HbA1c（β= -0.04, P = 0.02）は改善した。BMI，腹囲，AST，γ-GT，血糖値，中性脂肪，収縮期血圧，拡張期血圧，尿酸については感染拡大前後で変化を認めなかった。大学職員の健康管理において，感染拡大による職員個人のライフスタイル変化を考慮した生活指導が重要と考えられる。Although the spread of COVID-19 brought radical change to our lifestyle, its impact on health management of university staff is unknown. We enrolled 1608 Hiroshima University staff aged 40 years or more and compared their health checkup data before and after the spread of COVID-19. After adjustment for age, values of alanine aminotransferase (β= 0.04, P = 0.02), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β= -0.07, P = 0.0002), and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (β= 0.04, P = 0.02) were worsened due to the spread of COVID-19. However, hemoglobin A1c (β= -0.04, P = 0.02) was improved, and values of body mass index, waist circumference, aspartate transaminase, γ-glutamyl transpeptidase, blood glucose, triglyceride, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and uric acid were unchanged by the spread of COVID-19. For better physical health management of the university staff, individual lifestyle changes due to the spread of COVID-19 need to be considered

Production of doubly strange hypernuclei via {\Xi}- doorways in the 16O(K-, K+) reaction at 1.8 GeV/c

We examine theoretically production of doubly strange hypernuclei, 16 {\Xi}-C and 16 {\Lambda}{\Lambda}C, in doublecharge exchange 16O(K-, K+) reactions using a distorted-wave impulse approximation. The inclusive K+ spectrum at the incident momentum pK- = 1.8 GeV/c and scattering angle {\theta}lab = 0^{\circ} is estimated in a one-step mechanism, K-p \to K+{\Xi}- via {\Xi}- doorways caused by a {\Xi}-p-{\Lambda}{\Lambda} coupling. The calculated spectrum in the {\Xi}- bound region indicates that the integrated cross sections are on the order of 7-12 nb/sr for significant 1- excited states with 14C(0+, 2+) \otimes s{\Lambda}p{\Lambda} configurations in 16 {\Lambda}{\Lambda}C via the doorway states of the spin-stretched 15N(1/2-, 3/2-) \otimes s{\Xi}- in 16 {\Xi}-C due to a high momentum transfer q{\Xi}- \approx 400 MeV/c. The {\Xi}- admixture probabilities of these states are on the order of 5-9%. However, populations of the 0+ ground state with 14C(0+) \otimes s2{\Lambda} and the 2+ excited state with 14C(2+) \otimes s2 {\Lambda} are very small. The sensitivity of the spectrum on the {\Xi}N-{\Lambda}{\Lambda} coupling strength enables us to extract the nature of {\Xi}N-{\Lambda}{\Lambda} dynamics in nuclei, and the nuclear (K-, K+) reaction can extend our knowledge of the S = -2 world.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figure