An Effective Training and Evaluation Method for Anchoring Training in Maritime Education

Captain Kashima et al. showed that ship handling skills significantly improve when anchoring exercises are practiced on training ships. And Kunieda et al. showed that the practicing on training ships also develops critical thinking and problem-solving skills. We created an evaluation scale for elementary ship handling skills to measure the effects of different anchoring training methods. We assessed the training methods using a rubric evaluation list containing nine evaluation items. Group work was arranged before and after the anchoring training sessions based on the results from student questionnaires and instructor evaluations. Our results reveal the most effective training model for developing ship handling skills

A Case of Cat Cry Syndrome Associated with Cleft Lip

AbstractCat cry syndrome (cri-du-chat syndrome) is an extremely rare condition characterized by a high shrill cry during infancy, resulting from either the deletion of the short arm of chromosome 5 or unbalanced translocation inherited from a parent. We report the case of a 1-year-old girl with cat cry syndrome associated with cleft lip. The patient showed a ventricular septal defect, cleft lip, growth and mental retardation, micrognathia, ptosis of the eyelids, hypertelorism, epicanthal folds, and a preauricular tag on the right side. A chromosomal study revealed the terminal deletion of chromosome 5 (46, XX, del(p14.2)ish del(5)). Repair of the cleft lip was carried out concurrently with resection of the preauricular tag, and the patient's postoperative course was uneventful

Continuous perfusion of pulmonary arteries during total cardiopulmonary bypass favorably affects levels of circulating adhesion molecules and lung function

AbstractObjectives: Lung injury is a serious complication of cardiopulmonary bypass in infants with congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension. Cessation of blood flow in the pulmonary arteries during cardiopulmonary bypass is known to provoke lung dysfunction. We assessed the effect of continuous pulmonary perfusion on circulating adhesion molecules and on lung function. Methods: Fourteen infants with congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension were enrolled in the study. During total cardiopulmonary bypass, 8 patients underwent continuous perfusion of the pulmonary arteries (perfusion group), and the remaining 6 patients did not (control group). Plasma levels of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1, soluble granule membrane protein 140, and sialyl Lewisx and PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratios were measured before commencement and serially for 24 hours after termination of bypass. Results: Plasma levels of circulating intercellular adhesion molecule 1 decreased significantly at the termination of bypass in both groups but returned to prebypass levels immediately in the control group, whereas in the perfusion group the values remained significantly less than those before bypass. Plasma levels of soluble granule membrane protein 140 in the control group were significantly higher at 6 and 12 hours after bypass than levels before bypass, whereas in the perfusion group the values remained at the prebypass level throughout the postbypass period. Trends of plasma levels of sialyl Lewisx were alike in both groups. PaO2/fraction of inspired oxygen ratios in the control group decreased significantly from 6 hours after bypass, whereas values in the perfusion group remained at the prebypass value throughout the postbypass period. Conclusions: This study suggests that in infants having congenital heart disease and pulmonary hypertension, continuous pulmonary perfusion during total cardiopulmonary bypass minimizes ischemic insult and neutrophil-endothelial interaction mediated by adhesion molecules in the pulmonary microvessels.J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2001;122:242-

Oral tonsil in the floor of mouth: Ectopic oral tonsillar tissue simulating benign neoplasms

AbstractOral tonsils, ectopic sublingual tonsillar tissue, manifest as an asymptomatic, nonulcerated, freely movable nodule. We present a case of a 28-year-old female with ectopic tonsillar tissue in the anterior floor of the mouth. The lesion was totally removed under local anesthesia. The microscopic examination showed well demarcated and encapsulated lymphoid tissue with lymphoid follicles and central lacuna-like squamous epithelium covering space. These findings are similar to tonsillar tissue, and the case was finally diagnosed as sublingual oral tonsil. This article underlines that oral tonsils occur more frequently than is generally recognized, and the importance of differential diagnosis of soft tissue nodules in the oral floor

Health Checkup and Telemedical Intervention Program for Preventive Medicine in Developing Countries: Verification Study

Background: The prevalence of non-communicable diseases is increasing throughout the world, including developing countries. / Objective: The intent was to conduct a study of a preventive medical service in a developing country, combining eHealth checkups and teleconsultation as well as assess stratification rules and the short-term effects of intervention. / Methods: We developed an eHealth system that comprises a set of sensor devices in an attaché case, a data transmission system linked to a mobile network, and a data management application. We provided eHealth checkups for the populations of five villages and the employees of five factories/offices in Bangladesh. Individual health condition was automatically categorized into four grades based on international diagnostic standards: green (healthy), yellow (caution), orange (affected), and red (emergent). We provided teleconsultation for orange- and red-grade subjects and we provided teleprescription for these subjects as required. / Results: The first checkup was provided to 16,741 subjects. After one year, 2361 subjects participated in the second checkup and the systolic blood pressure of these subjects was significantly decreased from an average of 121 mmHg to an average of 116 mmHg (P<.001). Based on these results, we propose a cost-effective method using a machine learning technique (random forest method) using the medical interview, subject profiles, and checkup results as predictor to avoid costly measurements of blood sugar, to ensure sustainability of the program in developing countries. / Conclusions: The results of this study demonstrate the benefits of an eHealth checkup and teleconsultation program as an effective health care system in developing countries

Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes Regenerated from iPS Cells Have Therapeutic Efficacy in a Patient-Derived Xenograft Solid Tumor Model

Current adoptive T cell therapies conducted in an autologous setting are costly, time consuming, and depend on the quality of the patient's T cells. To address these issues, we developed a strategy in which cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) are regenerated from iPSCs that were originally derived from T cells and succeeded in regenerating CTLs specific for the WT1 antigen, which exhibited therapeutic efficacy in a xenograft model of leukemia. In this study, we extended our strategy to solid tumors. The regenerated WT1-specific CTLs had a strong therapeutic effect in orthotopic xenograft model using a renal cell carcinoma (RCC) cell line. To make our method more generally applicable, we developed an allogeneic approach by transducing HLA-haplotype homozygous iPSCs with WT1-specific TCR α/β genes that had been tested clinically. The regenerated CTLs antigen-specifically suppressed tumor growth in a patient-derived xenograft model of RCC, demonstrating the feasibility of our strategy against solid tumors