Nonlinear electrical impedance spectroscopy of viruses using very high electric fields created by nanogap electrodes

Our living sphere is constantly exposed to a wide range of pathogenic viruses, which can be either known, or of novel origin. Currently, there is no methodology for continuously monitoring the environment for viruses in general, much less a methodology that allows the rapid and sensitive identification of a wide variety of viruses responsible for communicable diseases. Traditional approaches, based on PCR and immunodetection systems, only detect known or specifically targeted viruses. We here describe a simple device that can potentially detect any virus between nanogap electrodes using nonlinear impedance spectroscopy. Three test viruses, differing in shape and size, were used to demonstrate the general applicability of this approach: baculovirus，tobacco mosaic virus, and influenza virus. We show that each of the virus types responded differently in the nanogap to changes in the electric field strength, and the impedance of the virus solutions differed depending both on virus type and virus concentration. These preliminary results show that the three virus types can be distinguished and their approximate concentrations determined. Although further studies are required, the proposed nonlinear impedance spectroscopy method may achieve a sensitivity comparable to that of more traditional, but less versatile, virus detection systems

Clinical characteristics of combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema

The definitive version is available at www.blackwell-synergy.comBackground and objective: Patients with combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) are sometimes seen, and we speculate that these patients have some different clinical characteristics from COPD patients. This study clarifies the clinical characteristics of CPFE patients. Methods: This was a retrospective study of 47 stable patients with concurrent emphysema and diffuse parenchymal lung disease with fibrosis, based on the findings of chest CT (CPFE patients). The clinical characteristics of CPFE patients were compared with those of emphysema-dominant COPD patients without parenchymal lung disease (COPD patients). Results: Forty-six of the 47 CPFE patients were male. Paraseptal emphysema was particularly common in the CPFE group. Honeycombing, ground-glass opacities and reticular opacities were present in 75.6%, 62.2% and 84.4% of CPFE patients, respectively. Twenty-two of the 47 CPFE patients (46.8%) had lung cancer. Pulmonary function tests showed that the CPFE group had milder airflow limitation and lower diffusing capacity than the COPD group. Desaturation during 6-min walking test in CPFE patients tended to be more severe than in COPD patients, if the level of FEV1 or 6MWD was equal. Conclusions: CPFE patients had some different clinical characteristics in comparison with COPD patients and may also have a high prevalence of lung cancer.ArticleRESPIROLOGY. 15(2):265-271 (2010)journal articl

Annual changes in pulmonary function in combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema: Over a 5-year follow-up

Background: Combined pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema (CPFE) is a unique disorder that has been previously described, and the distinct features of CPFE in comparison with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been reported. However, the yearly dynamics of pulmonary function parameters in CPFE patients compared with those in COPD patients have not yet been reported. Methods: We retrospectively enrolled patients with CPFE and COPD who had undergone pulmonary function tests more than five times during a follow-up period of more than five years. The baseline clinical characteristics and the annual changes in pulmonary function during the follow-up period in 16 stable CPFE patients were compared with those in 19 stable COPD patients. Annual changes in pulmonary function were estimated from linear regressions, with assumptions for time-dependency and linearity. We analyzed the time-dependent fluctuations in pulmonary function for the two disorders. Results: Annual decreases in VC and FVC in the CPFE group were significantly higher than those in the COPD group. Annual decrease in FEV1/FVC in the COPD group was significantly higher than in the CPFE group. During the follow-up period, FEV1/FVC in the CPFE group appeared to improve because of annual decrease in FVC. Annual decreases in DLco and DLco/VA in the CPFE group were significantly higher than those in the COPD group. Conclusion: This is the first report showing the yearly dynamics of pulmonary function parameters in CPFE patients compared with those in COPD patients during a follow-up period of more than five years. This study revealed that the physiologic consequences of CPFE including the rate of progression of pulmonary function impairment were different from those of COPD. (C) 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.ArticleRESPIRATORY MEDICINE. 107(12):1986-1992 (2013)journal articl

Additive efficacy of short-acting bronchodilators on dynamic hyperinflation and exercise tolerance in stable COPD patients treated with long-acting bronchodilators

The purpose of this study was to clarify the additive efficacy of short-acting beta(2)-agonists (SABA) or muscarinic antagonists (SAMA) on dynamic hyperinflation and exercise tolerance in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who had been treated with long-acting bronchodilators. Thirty-two patients with stable COPD who had been treated with long-acting bronchodilators, including long-acting muscarinic antagonists (LAMA), were examined by pulmonary function tests, dynamic hyperinflation evaluated by the method of step-wise metronome-paced incremental hyperventilation, and the incremental shuttle walking test before and after inhalation of SABA or SAMA. The additive efficacy of the two drugs was analyzed. Inhalation of SABA and SAMA improved airflow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation in stable COPD patients who had been treated with LAMA. Inhalation of SABA decreased respiratory resistance and the difference in respiratory resistance at 5 Hz and 20 Hz. On the whole, the additive efficacy of SABA on airflow limitation and dynamic hyperinflation was superior to that of SAMA. Furthermore, inhalation of SABA resulted in relief of breathlessness during exercise and significant improvement in exercise capacity. Inhalation of SABA resulted in significant improvement in exercise tolerance, which may have been due to improvement in dynamic hyperinflation. Single use of SABA before exercise, in addition to regular treatment with LAMA, may therefore be useful in stable COPD patients.ArticleRESPIRATORY MEDICINE. 107(3):394-400 (2013)journal articl

認知症とカルニチンの関連 : 基礎および臨床的検討

学位の種別: 課程博士審査委員会委員 : （主査）東京大学教授 南學 正臣, 東京大学准教授 江頭 正人, 東京大学准教授 平池 修, 東京大学講師 山本 智孝, 東京大学講師 下澤 達雄University of Tokyo(東京大学

Electron Microscopy Observation of Human Pulmonary Ultrastructure in Two Patients with High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema

We examined the pulmonary ultrastructure in tissue from two patients with high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) by electron microscopy. In one case, we found that neutrophils were trapped in pulmonary capillary lumen of alveolar-capillary wall and part of the cytoplasm of a neutrophil protruded and adhered to the capillary endothelium. There were several degranulated vacuoles in the cytoplasm of the neutrophil. The pulmonary capillary wall was deformed, thickened, and swollen and there was evidence of degeneration. In another case, infiltration of neutrophils and macrophages, proliferation of type II pneumocytes, and numerous red blood cells were also observed in alveolar air space. These electron microscopic ultrastructural observations illustrate for the first time damage to the pulmonary alveolar-capillary barrier in lung tissue of humans with advanced HAPE.ArticleHIGH ALTITUDE MEDICINE & BIOLOGY.18(3):288-291(2017)journal articl

Evolutionarily Conserved Interaction between the Phosphoproteins and X Proteins of Bornaviruses from Different Vertebrate Species.

Bornavirus, a non-segmented, negative-strand RNA viruses, is currently classified into several genetically distinct genotypes, such as Borna disease virus (BDV) and avian bornaviruses (ABVs). Recent studies revealed that bornavirus genotypes show unique sequence variability in the putative 5' untranslated region (5' UTR) of X/P mRNA, a bicistronic mRNA for the X protein and phosphoprotein (P). In this study, to understand the evolutionary relationship among the bornavirus genotypes, we investigated the functional interaction between the X and P proteins of four bornavirus genotypes, BDV, ABV genotype 4 and 5 and reptile bornavirus (RBV), the putative 5' UTRs of which exhibit variation in the length. Immunofluorescence and immunoprecipitation analyses using mammalian and avian cell lines revealed that the X proteins of bornaviruses conserve the ability to facilitate the export of P from the nucleus to the cytoplasm via interaction with P. Furthermore, we showed that inter-genotypic interactions may occur between X and P among the genotypes, except for X of RBV. In addition, a BDV minireplicon assay demonstrated that the X and P proteins of ABVs, but not RBV, can affect the polymerase activity of BDV. This study demonstrates that bornaviruses may have conserved the fundamental function of a regulatory protein during their evolution, whereas RBV has evolved distinctly from the other bornavirus genotypes

Implementation of a new specific program for training curators at Hiroshima University

博物館法施行規則の改正に伴い，2012年4月から学芸員資格取得のために修得すべき科目が大幅に変更となった。学芸員資格取得の歴史においてはきわめて大きな変更である。本学では，これに対応するため，各学部の学芸員資格取得特定プログラムを統合し，全学の学生を対象とする新課程に移行した。本稿では，本学が新たに採用した4学期制（ターム制）を含め，今回の変更が受講や資格取得にどのような影響を及ぼしたのか，統計データの分析を通じて考察した。新課程移行の前後で，プログラム登録者数，資格取得者数は大幅に減少し，取得率も大きく低下した。こうした現象は特定の学部，分野の変化に基づくものではなく，旧課程においてプログラム登録の主体となってきた全ての学部に共通する。分析を通じて，大幅な必要単位数の増加，全学を対象としたプログラムへの変更，2学期制から4学期制（ターム制）への変更など，複数の要因が関連して，各学部における専門の修得と学芸員資格取得を両立させることが困難な状況が生じていることが推定された。As a result of the revision of Museum Law Enforcement Rules, the subjects that must be completed to acquire the curator qualification have changed significantly since April 2012, which constitutes a major change in the history of this qualification. To cope with this change, we integrated the curator qualification specific programs of each faculty into a new course for students of all universities. In this paper, through statistical data analysis, we examined the impact of this change on attendance trends, including the term system newly adopted by Hiroshima University. Before and after the transition to the new course, the number of program registrants and qualifications greatly decreased, and the acquisition rate has also declined significantly. These phenomena were not based on changes in specific faculties or fields, but are common to all faculties subject to program registration during the old course. Through this analysis, we presumed that several factors, such as the great increase in the required number of credits, the change to the program for the whole school, and the change from a two-semester system to the four-semester system, were all interrelated to each other, which make it difficult to achieve both specialized and curator qualifications.本稿は，2018年6月22日に香川大学で開催された第13回日本博物科学会で口頭発表した藤野次史・青木孝夫・清水則雄・菅村 亨・本多博之・山口富美夫・山崎博史・吉田将之「広島大学における新課程実施後の学芸員資格取得状況について」を元に，新たなデータを加えて考察したものである