Long-term oxygen therapy in Japan: history, present status, and current problems

Historically, the progress of long term-oxygen therapy (LTOT) in Japan has been characterized by collaboration among academicgroups, policy makers, and industrial companies. The public health insurance program has covered the cost of LTOT since 1985.Thomas Petty’s group in Denver enthusiastically carried out the public implementation of LTOT and conveyed the concept of pulmonaryrehabilitation for the processing with LTOT. Although the target diseases of LTOT in Japan tended to be chronic obstructivepulmonary disease or sequelae of primary lung tuberculosis, it was soon applied for cardiac diseases as well as other pulmonarydiseases. Together with increasing medical costs for geriatric patients, the political conversion from hospital based care ofa traditional style to home care system has been performed, with two background reasons: the improvement of quality of life ofpatients and the reduction of the medical expense. Presently, LTOT plays a pivotal role in the successful implementation of homerespiratory care for elderly patients. In addition, this promotes comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation, a team approach, andclose liaisons between primary care and hospitals. Currently, the total number of patients using LTOT exceeds 150,000. In Japan,LTOT resulted in an advancement in the medical care as well as in administrative decision to introduce it as a nationwide systemafter analyzing the results of opinion polls of patients with respiratory failure. However, the recent great earthquake in East Japanrevealed that many unresolved problems remain for these patients, and these issues are of great concern.Historically, the progress of long term-oxygen therapy (LTOT) in Japan has been characterized by collaboration among academicgroups, policy makers, and industrial companies. The public health insurance program has covered the cost of LTOT since 1985.Thomas Petty’s group in Denver enthusiastically carried out the public implementation of LTOT and conveyed the concept of pulmonaryrehabilitation for the processing with LTOT. Although the target diseases of LTOT in Japan tended to be chronic obstructivepulmonary disease or sequelae of primary lung tuberculosis, it was soon applied for cardiac diseases as well as other pulmonarydiseases. Together with increasing medical costs for geriatric patients, the political conversion from hospital based care ofa traditional style to home care system has been performed, with two background reasons: the improvement of quality of life ofpatients and the reduction of the medical expense. Presently, LTOT plays a pivotal role in the successful implementation of homerespiratory care for elderly patients. In addition, this promotes comprehensive pulmonary rehabilitation, a team approach, andclose liaisons between primary care and hospitals. Currently, the total number of patients using LTOT exceeds 150,000. In Japan,LTOT resulted in an advancement in the medical care as well as in administrative decision to introduce it as a nationwide systemafter analyzing the results of opinion polls of patients with respiratory failure. However, the recent great earthquake in East Japanrevealed that many unresolved problems remain for these patients, and these issues are of great concern

Clinically suspected acute myopericarditis with cardiac tamponade associated with peripheral blood eosinophilia presenting in early pregnancy: a case report

INTRODUCTION: The clinical presentation of eosinophilic myocarditis may vary from asymptomatic to the manifestation of severe symptoms, including cardiac tamponade and arrhythmias. In pregnant patients with this condition, drugs must be used cautiously up to approximately the 4th month of pregnancy because drug use should be limited during the period of fetal organogenesis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 30-year-old Asian woman at 14 weeks of pregnancy with progressive malaise was hospitalized. The electrocardiogram revealed ST elevation and low QRS voltage. Echocardiography revealed massive pericardial effusion and myocardial swelling. A laboratory examination revealed an increase in her white blood cell count, with a predominance of neutrophils. Pericardial drainage was performed for relief of the cardiac tamponade. The pericardial effusion revealed an abundance of eosinophils. Subsequently, the peripheral blood eosinophil count began to rise, and the patient was clinically diagnosed with eosinophilic myopericarditis. The patient’s condition improved rapidly following the initiation of prednisolone treatment, and she finally delivered a full-term normal infant. CONCLUSIONS: A patient with clinically suspected myopericarditis in the early stage of pregnancy who improved rapidly with pericardial drainage and prednisolone therapy, and successfully delivered a normal full-term infant; the diagnosis was made in the early stage of the disease, based on the detection of an abundance of eosinophils in the pericardial effusion preceding the subsequent development of peripheral blood eosinophilia

GIPC-phospholipase D in plants

Previously, we detected an unknown sphingophospholipid in cabbage leaves and identified it as phytoceramide-1-phosphate (PC1P). We also found an enzyme activity that produces PC1P by glycosylinositol phosphoceramide (GIPC)-specific hydrolysis in cabbage leaves. To characterize the GIPC-specific phospholipase D (GIPC-PLD) activity, we investigated distributions of GIPC-PLD activity in 25 tissues of 10 plants. In most plants, the GIPC-PLD activity was the highest in roots. Young leaves of cabbage and Welsh onion had higher activities than corresponding aged outer leaves. The GIPC-PLD activities in leaves, stems and roots of mung bean were higher in the sprouting stage than in more mature stages. We also examined distribution of substrate GIPC and product PC1P, and found that GIPC was ubiquitously distributed at 50-280 nmol/g (wet wt) in tissues of plants, whereas PC1P was detectable (3-60 nmol/g wet wt.) only in tissues showing considerable GIPC-PLD activity. These results suggest a possibility that GIPC-PLD activity is involved in plant growth

Quantitative Analysis of Glycosylinositol Phosphoceramide and Phytoceramide 1-Phosphate in Vegetables

Previously, we found an unidentified sphingolipid in cabbage, and determined it as phytoceramide 1-phosphate (PC1P). PC1P is found to be produced from glycosylinositol phosphoceramide (GIPC) by the action of phospholipase D (PLD) activity. Although GIPC is abundant sphingolipid, especially in cruciferous vegetables, amount of daily intake, digestibility and nutritional activity of GIPC are not well understood. Here, we investigated amounts of GIPC and PC1P in vegetables. GIPC was found in all vegetables examined (13 kinds) at levels 3-20mg/100g (wet weight). On the other hand, PC1P was present in limited vegetables which show higher GIPC-PLD activity, such as inner cabbage leaves (5.2mg/100g). Because PC1P is formed during homogenization by activated GIPC-PLD, level of PC1P in boiled cabbage leaves was very low. Although digestibility of GIPC is unknown at present, a portion of dietary GIPC is considered to be converted to PC1P during mastication by plant-derived GIPC-PLD activity in some vegetables

SYNTHESIS OF NIGRICANIN VIA INTRAMOLECULAR BIARYL COUPLING REACTION OF FUNCTIONALIZED PHENYL BENZOATE

A tetracyclic natural product, nigricanin (1), was synthesized through an intramolecular biaryl coupling reaction of the phenyl benzoate derivative which was derived from the corresponding phenol and benzoic acid

Truss structure tele-manipulation experiment using ETS-7

A robot experiment concept of space truss telemanipulation by National Aerospace Laboratory (NAL) is described in its flight model development. The experiment will be carried out on the Engineering Test Satellite No. 7 (ETS-7) using its robot arm. The satellite is scheduled to be launched in 1997 by National Space Development Agency of Japan (NASDA). The truss flight model is composed of deployable truss system and assemble truss joint. Those truss components will be manipulated by the ETS-7 robot arm using its small grapple fixture type-N (GPF-N), and the experimental task operation will be executed from the ground control station

Impaired Healing of a Cutaneous Wound in an Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase-Knockout Mouse

Background. We investigated the effects of loss of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) on the healing process of cutaneous excisional injury by using iNOS-null (KO) mice. Population of granulation tissue-related cell types, that is, myofibroblasts and macrophages, growth factor expression, and reepithelialization were evaluated. Methods. KO and wild type (WT) mice of C57BL/6 background were used. Under general anesthesia two round full-thickness excision wounds of 5.0 mm in diameter were produced in dorsal skin. After specific intervals of healing, macroscopic observation, histology, immunohistochemistry, and real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) were employed to evaluate the healing process. Results. The loss of iNOS retards granulation tissue formation and reepithelialization in excision wound model in mice. Detailed analyses showed that myofibroblast appearance, macrophage infiltration, and mRNA expression of transforming growth factor b and of collagen 1α2 were all suppressed by lacking iNOS. Conclusions. iNOS is required in the process of cutaneous wound healing. Lacking iNOS retards macrophage invasion and its expression of fibrogenic components that might further impair fibrogenic behaviors of fibroblasts

CORRELATION BETWEEN THROWING MOTION AND MAXIMUM ELBOW VARUS TORQUE IN FEMALE PROFESSIONAL BASEBALL PITCHERS

The purpose of this study was to identify the correlation between throwing motion and maximum elbow varus torque (MEV) in female professional baseball pitchers. Twelve pitchers without pre-existing pain were recruited. Ball velocity and pitching motion were measured. Ball velocity and, kinematic and kinetic data from each joint during the pitch were extracted to evaluate the correlation with MEV. There was no correlation between the fastest ball velocity and MEV. Sixteen kinematic and kinetic parameters were found to have significant correlations with MEV. Particularly, as trunk rotation angle to the non-throwing direction before lead foot contact (FC) increased, the MEV decreased. Rotating the trunk in the non-throwing direction before FC and immediately in the throwing direction after FC could be a key component of the throwing motion