Influence of Different Wavelengths of Evening Indoor Lighting on Salivary Secretion and Cutaneous Temperature of the Feet

The experiment investigated the effect of light wavelength upon salivary secretion and cutaneous temperature of the foot in humans. Seven healthy young female students served as participants. They spent three nights in a bioclimatic chamber controlled at 26 °C and 60%. Participants were exposed to two different wavelengths of light from 1800 to 2400 h on second day and third day: 1) Fluorescent light (FL) with short wavelengths and a high color temperature (6,500 K); 2) Incandescent light (IL) with long wavelengths and a low color temperature (3,000 K). Light intensity was 400 lx in both conditions. Saliva was collected every 10 min from 2100 to 2200 h, and from 2300 to 2400 h on the second and third days, by a Lashley cup fixed to the parotid gland. The mean salivary secretion rate between 2100 and 2200 h was 15.27±2.86 g/h (Mean±SEM, N=7) in the IL condition and 10.80±2.97 g/h in the FL condition (p<0.011) and, between 2300 and 2400 h, 14.98±3.80 g/h in the IL condition and 11.55±2.60 g/h in the FL condition (p<0.057). Foot skin temperature was significantly higher in IL than FL during the period 1800–2400 h. These findings suggest that the parasympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for serous saliva flow, is less suppressed by IL condition, and that the sympathetic nervous system, which is responsible for vasoconstriction of foot skin vessels, is less activated by IL

Medico-Botanical Studies of Ephedra Plants from the Himalayan Region: [Part 2] Geographical Variation in the Anatomical Characters of Herbal Stems,and the Estimation of the Original Locality of Tibetan Crude Drugs "TSHE" and "BALU"

前報で，ヒマラヤ地域に分布するEphedra gerardiana Wall. ex Stapf と E. pachyclada Boiss. は，組織分類学的に草質茎の横切面において表皮下繊維群数の相違により明確に区別されることを報告した．一方，他の内部形態的要素をも含めて各形質は大きな種内変異を示した．そこで，本研究では各形質の変異と実験材料生育地の経度と標高との相関を検討した．その結果，E. gerardiana では西方の株ほど草質茎の直径が大きくなり表皮下繊維群数が多くなるという，経度の変化に伴う連続的な変異（クライン）が認められた．また，E. pachyclada では高地に生える株ほど表皮下繊維群の1群を構成する細胞数と髄内繊維数が多くなるという標高に伴う連続変異が認められた．緯度や標高に伴うクラインは日照時間や気温の変化などに起因することが考えられるが，経度の変化に伴うクラインに関しては如何なる要因で生じるのか現時点では不明である．またそれぞれの種で，皮層部の繊維群数や髄内繊維数などに地域的な特徴が認められた． 　本研究結果から，前報で原植物を解明した本属由来のチベット薬物について，それらの産地を類推することができた．中国医学では生薬の産地は品質を評価する上で重要であるが，これまで市場品の産地を証明する手段はなかった．今回の結果は内部形態の地理的変異を精査することによりそれが可能であることを示唆している

Bacteremia Derived from Clinical Materials on Blood Culture and Catheter Tip after Intravenous Infusion Therapy in a University Hospital

中心静脈内にカテーテル(以下CVCとする)を挿入して行う輸液管理は重症患者への医療には欠くことの出来ないものとなっている一方, カテーテル留置に伴う血流感染の危険性は高い。大学病院におけるCVC由来血流感染症の実態を明らかにするため, 1996年1月から1998年12月までの3年間に広島大学医学部附属病院での各診療科別にみた微生物検査室へのCVCおよび血液の培養依頼状況およびその結果を明らかにした。本調査ではCVCおよび血液の培養の原因菌が一致し, それらの症例について, 薬剤感受性やカルテの内容からCVC挿入が血流感染の直接的な原因になっていたか否かを検討することによりCVC由来菌血症と定義した。血液およびCVCの検査依頼総数は2,233件, 菌検出検体は283件, 検出率は12.7%であった。3年間に検出された菌種の過半数は, 血液およびCVC共にグラム陽性球菌であった。診療科により検出される菌の種類, またその数の違いが見られており, 外科系においてはグラム陽性菌の検出数が多く, 内科系ではグラム陰性菌の検出数が多い傾向が見られたが, 統計的な有意差は認められなかった。血液とCVCから同種の菌検出が認められた症例は13件であり, 1996年に6件, 1997年に5件, 1998年に2件であった。これらの症例を検討した結果, 明らかにCVC由来感染と考えられたものは各年毎2例であり, 原因菌以外の操作中の汚染として見過ごされがちなCoagulase negative-staphylococciが多く見られた。これらのことから, CVC由来血流感染を防止し, 患者の生命予後を改善していくため, CVCを用いた輸液管理に関する正しい理解と正確な技術に基づいたルート管理の必要性が考えられた。To clarify the contamination pattern of samples from central venous catheter tip and blood, all submitted materials by each clinical department from Jan. 1996 to Dec. 1998 were summarized the contaminated cases were determined whether to be catheter-related bacteremia or not. Positive samples were counted as well as those in which bacteria were matched between the catheter tip and the blood. We further checked the later cases from the viewpoint of antibiotic sensitivity and other information in the clinical chart to decide whether the patient had catheter-related bacteremia or not. The total sample materials were 2,233,including 283 (12.7%) bacteria-positive samples. More than halves of the bacteria specimens were gram positive cocci. Detected bacteria differed according to the clinical department. More of the bacteria were gram positive cocci than gram-negative bacilli, the former dominant in the surgical departments than the latter in the non-surgical departments. But these difference were not significant statistically. In thirteen cases, the same bacteria were detected in both the central venous catheter tip and the blood, including six cases in 1996,5 cases in 1997,and 2 cases in 1998,and definitive catheter-related bacteremia was found in 2 cases each year. The other 11 cases were coagulase negative-staphylococci and thought to be contaminated during the sampling maneuver. The medical staff always should keep in mind to improve the patient outcomes by reducing catether-related infections. We must thus have appropriate knowledge and technical skills for catheter administration

Hydrodynamic stress stimulates growth of cell clusters via the ANXA1/PI3K/AKT axis in colorectal cancer

Cancer cells are exposed to various stresses in vivo, including hydrodynamic stress (HDS). HDS on cancer cells in the blood stream can influence the metastatic potential. Recent studies revealed that circulating tumor cell clusters are more responsible for metastasis than circulating single cells. Nevertheless, most studies on HDS are based on single cells prepared from established cancer cell lines. Here, we used cancer tissue-originated spheroids (CTOS) as a patient-derived, 3D organoid model to investigate the effect of HDS on cancer cell clusters. We found that HDS induced the growth of cancer cell clusters in a population of colorectal CTOSs. Microarray analyses revealed that the multifunctional protein, Annexin 1 (ANXA1), was upregulated upon HDS exposure. Chemically-induced membrane damage also triggered the expression of ANXA1. A knockdown of ANXA1 revealed that ANXA1 regulated HDS-stimulated growth in colorectal CTOSs. Mechanistically, activating the PI3K/AKT pathway downstream of ANXA1 contributed to the phenotype. These findings demonstrate that HDS induces the growth of cancer cell clusters via ANXA1/PI3K/AKT axis, which helps to elucidate the pro-metastatic feature of circulating cancer cell clusters