Analysis of background factors in marine accidents and incidents caused by watch-keeper drowsiness in Japan

The purpose of this study was to perform a feature extraction of sleep and lifecycle characteristics among watch-keepers involved in marine accidents and incidents. A questionnaire that included attributes of the watch-keeper, amount of sleep, problems related to sleep, fatigue, feeling hiyari-hatto incidents, and the Epworth sleepiness scale (ESS) was administered to a sample of 7,750 watch-keepers (response rate - 21.3%). Watch:keepers have problems related to sleep, such as “once a month or more awaking while sleeping and cannot sleep afterwards”, “once a month or more awaking too early in the morning and cannot sleep afterwards”, “I have been told by my family and colleagues that I snore”, and “I had my breathing stopped while sleeping”. Some watchkeepers indicated “once a month or more feeling hiyari-hatto incidents” The analysis of cargo ships and tankers revealed there was a notable relationship between the situation of “once a month or more feeling hiyari-hatto incidents” and the influence of each “frequency of interrupted sleep”, “sleep delay”, “frequency of interrupted sleep” and ”early morning sleeplessness”. These results suggest that watch-keeper of each ship have problems related to sleep due to sleep and lifecycle characteristics.Проведено аналіз основних особливостей режиму праці, обумовлених несенням вахт на судах різних типів (суховантажі, танкери, прогулянкові судна та ін) за даними анкетування 7750 моряків. Встановлено, що вахтові офіцери відзначають наявність проблем, пов'язаних з різними видами порушень сну (недостатнє загальний час сну за добу, порушення регулярності у наданні часу для сну, позбавлення сну під час вантажних операцій, переривчастий сон та ін.) Показано наявність достовірної взаємозв'язку між характером сну і частотою інцидентів, що призводять до аварійності на флоті.Проведен анализ основных особенностей режима труда, обусловленных несением вахт на судах различных типов (сухогрузы, танкеры, прогулочные суда и др.) по данным анкетирования 7750 моряков. Установлено, что вахтенные офицеры отмечают наличие проблем, связанных с различными видами нарушений сна (недостаточное общее время сна за сутки, нарушение регулярности в предоставлении времени для сна, лишение сна во время грузовых операций, прерывистый сон и др.). Показано наличие достоверной взаимосвязи между характером сна и частотой инцидентов, приводящих к аварийности на флоте

Tachycardia-induced myocardial ischemia and diastolic dysfunction potentiate secretion of ANP, not BNP, in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Kido, S; Hasebe, N; Ishii, Y; Kikuchi, K, AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSIOLOGY-HEART AND CIRCULATORY PHYSIOLOGY, 290(3), H1064-H1070, 2006. "Copyright 2006 by the American Physical Society." publisherThe aim of this study was to investigate what factor determines tachycardia-induced secretion of atrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP, respectively) in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). HCM patients with normal left ventricular (LV) systolic function and intact coronary artery (n = 22) underwent rapid atrial pacing test. The cardiac secretion of ANP and BNP and the lactate extraction ratio (LER) were evaluated by using blood samples from the coronary sinus and aorta. LV end-diastolic pressure (LVEDP) and the time constant of LV relaxation of tau were measured by a catheter-tip transducer. These parameters were compared with normal controls (n = 8). HCM patients were divided into obstructive (HOCM) and nonobstructive (HNCM) groups. The cardiac secretion of ANP was significantly increased by rapid pacing in HOCM from 384 ± 101 to 1,268 ± 334 pg/ml (P < 0.05); however, it was not significant in control and HNCM groups. In contrast, the cardiac secretion of BNP was fairly constant and rather significantly decreased in HCM (P < 0.01). The cardiac ANP secretion was significantly correlated with changes in LER (r = –0.57, P < 0.01) and tau (r = 0.73, P < 0.001) in HCM patients. Tachycardia potentiates the cardiac secretion of ANP, not BNP, in patients with HCM, particularly when it induces myocardial ischemia and LV diastolic dysfunction

A new therapeutic strategy with istradefylline for postural deformities in Parkinson’s disease

Aim of the study. Postural deformities are common in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients. Several treatment options have been reported, but responses to these treatments appear unpredictable. Istradefylline is a novel drug for PD. Cases of PD patients whose postural deformities were improved after withdrawal of dopamine agonists and initiation of istradefylline are presented. Materials and Methods. Four consecutive patients with postural deformities including antecollis, Pisa syndrome, and camptocormia were recruited and treated with istradefylline in combination with withdrawal of dopamine agonists, which are possible causes of postural deformities. Results. The dopamine agonists were discontinued an average of 26 months after the development of the postural deformities, and istradefylline was initiated an average of 1.3 months after dopamine agonist withdrawal. Three patients with preserved paraspinal muscle volume showed good responses to the treatment regimen at least two months after dopamine agonist withdrawal. Conclusions and clinical Implications. Postural deformities caused by dopamine agonists generally improve less than two weeks after dopamine agonist withdrawal. Given the response time in the present study, the response was unlikely to be caused solely by dopamine agonist withdrawal. Istradefylline can be a potential therapeutic option; however, appropriate selection of patients for treatment with istradefylline is warranted

Predictive Factors of Rectal Toxicity After Permanent iodine-125 Seed Implantation: Prospective Cohort Study in 2339 Patients

Purpose: To evaluate the incidence and the associated factors of rectal toxicity in patients with prostate cancer undergoing permanent seed implantation (PI) with or without external beam radiation therapy (EBRT) in a nationwide prospective cohort study in Japan (J-POPS) during the first 2 years. Methods and materials: A total of 2,339 subjects were available for the analyses. Rectal toxicity was evaluated using the National Cancer Institute Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events version 3.0. Results: The 3-year cumulative incidence for grade ≥2 rectal toxicity was 2.88%, 1.76%, and 6.53% in all subjects, PI group and EBRT combination therapy group, respectively. On multivariate analysis, among all subjects, grade ≥2 rectal toxicity was associated with rectal volumes receiving 100% of the prescribed dose (R100; p Conclusions: Rectal toxicity was relatively rare in this study compared with previous reports. For Japanese prostate cancer patients, R100 < 1 mL in both PI and EBRT combination therapy groups and interactive planning in EBRT combination therapy group may be effective in decreasing the incidence of rectal toxicity

The effect of action contingency on social perception is independent of person-like appearance and is related to deactivation of the frontal component of the self-agency network

The detection of object movement that is contingent on one’s own actions (i.e., movements with action contingency) influences social perception of the object; such interactive objects tend to create a good impression. However, it remains unclear whether neural representation of action contingency is associated with subsequent socio-cognitive evaluation of “contacting agents”, or whether the appearance of agents (e.g., face- or non-face-like avatars) is essential for this effect. In this study, we conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) task with two phases: contact (contact with face- or non-face-like avatars moving contingently or non-contingently) and recognition (rating a static image of each avatar). Deactivation of the frontoparietal self-agency network and activation of the reward network were the main effects of action contingency during the contact phase, consistent with previous findings. During the recognition phase, static avatars that had previously moved in a contingent manner deactivated the frontal component of the frontoparietal network (bilateral insula and inferior-middle frontal gyri), regardless of person-like appearance. Our results imply that frontal deactivation may underlie the effect of action contingency on subsequent social perception, independent of person-like appearance

Microbiological Investigation of the Iron-Containing Floculent Mats in Various Deep Sea Environments

Conference abstract (August 14-19, 2011, Goldschmidt 2011 in Prague, Czech Republic)http://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/natsushima/nt10-13_leg2/ehttp://www.godac.jamstec.go.jp/darwin/cruise/yokosuka/yk10-10/

Direct cell–cell contact between mature osteoblasts and osteoclasts dynamically controls their functions in vivo

Bone homeostasis is regulated by communication between bone-forming mature osteoblasts (mOBs) and bone-resorptive mature osteoclasts (mOCs). However, the spatial–temporal relationship and mode of interaction in vivo remain elusive. Here we show, by using an intravital imaging technique, that mOB and mOC functions are regulated via direct cell–cell contact between these cell types. The mOBs and mOCs mainly occupy discrete territories in the steady state, although direct cell–cell contact is detected in spatiotemporally limited areas. In addition, a pH-sensing fluorescence probe reveals that mOCs secrete protons for bone resorption when they are not in contact with mOBs, whereas mOCs contacting mOBs are non-resorptive, suggesting that mOBs can inhibit bone resorption by direct contact. Intermittent administration of parathyroid hormone causes bone anabolic effects, which lead to a mixed distribution of mOBs and mOCs, and increase cell–cell contact. This study reveals spatiotemporal intercellular interactions between mOBs and mOCs affecting bone homeostasis in vivo

AXL confers intrinsic resistance to osimertinib and advances the emergence of tolerant cells

A novel EGFR-tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI), osimertinib, has marked efficacy in patients with EGFR-mutated lung cancer. However, some patients show intrinsic resistance and an insufficient response to osimertinib. This study showed that osimertinib stimulated AXL by inhibiting a negative feedback loop. Activated AXL was associated with EGFR and HER3 in maintaining cell survival and inducing the emergence of cells tolerant to osimertinib. AXL inhibition reduced the viability of EGFR-mutated lung cancer cells overexpressing AXL that were exposed to osimertinib. The addition of an AXL inhibitor during either the initial or tolerant phases reduced tumor size and delayed tumor re-growth compared to osimertinib alone. AXL was highly expressed in clinical specimens of EGFR-mutated lung cancers and its high expression was associated with a low response rate to EGFR-TKI. These results indicated pivotal roles for AXL and its inhibition in the intrinsic resistance to osimertinib and the emergence of osimertinib-tolerant cells