Usefulness of an equal-probability assumption for out-of-equilibrium states: a master equation approach

We examine the effectiveness of assuming an equal probability for states far from equilibrium. For this aim, we propose a method to construct a master equation for extensive variables describing non-stationary nonequilibrium dynamics. The key point of the method is the assumption that transient states are equivalent to the equilibrium state that has the same extensive variables, i.e., an equal probability holds for microscopic states in nonequilibrium. We demonstrate an application of this method to the critical relaxation of the two-dimensional Potts model by Monte Carlo simulations. While the one-variable description, which is adequate for equilibrium, yields relaxation dynamics that are very fast, redundant two-variable description well reproduces the true dynamics quantitatively. These results suggest that some class of the nonequilibrium state can be described with a small extension of degrees of freedom, which may lead to an alternative way to understand nonequilibrium phenomena.Comment: 9 pages, 7 figure

二分亀頭を伴った陰茎海綿体異物の1例

We had an opportunity to treat a rare case of foreign body in the corpus cavernosum in a patient with cleft glans penis. The foreign body was a 13 cm wire, which was inserted by the patient himself for masturbation, and was removed surgically. To our knowledge, such a case has never been reported in the literature

Robot arm system for automatic satellite capture and berthing

Load control is one of the most important technologies for capturing and berthing free flying satellites by a space robot arm because free flying satellites have different motion rates. The performance of active compliance control techniques depend on the location of the force sensor and the arm's structural compliance. A compliance control technique for the robot arm's structural elasticity and a consideration for an end-effector appropriate for it are presented in this paper

NDBを用いた新たな患者追跡手法の開発

The National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan (NDB) is a comprehensive database containing health insurance claim information. The structure of the NDB complicates long-term cohorts for two main reasons. First, the NDB data are stored on a per-claim basis. Second, the NDB is a billing-focused record structure. Therefore, the objective of this study was to use ID0 to modify the data structure to allow for long-term cohorts, provided that the data volume is not increased and the runtime per data year is maintained within one month. The NDB uses two primary keys (ID1 and ID2) made from hash values that mask personally identifiable information. ID0 is our recently developed key from ID1 and ID2, which improves patient-matching efficiency with excellent long-term tracing performance. Our study used claim data with filing dates between April 2013 and March 2016 to trace hospitalizations of one month or longer, including outpatient care, in three steps. In Step 1, claims were transferred to a CD-record format. As some diagnosis procedure combination (DPC) claim records contain a mixture of overlapping comprehensive and piece-rate data, we sorted and reorganized them. In Step 2, pharmacy and medical outpatient claims were integrated using the ID0 key, the medical institution code for issuing a prescription, and the prescription issue date. In Step 3, the transferred data were combined and converted from consecutive hospitalization days into sequences based on ID0, the medical institution code, and hospital ward classification. Consequently, the size of the originally extracted comma-separated variable dataset for three years (approximately 10.5 TB) was reduced to an approximately 6 TB main database file that was usable for processing. The process took approximately three months. With similar conventional methods, the data size was 30 times larger, and it took more than seven months to process a year's worth of data. In addition, to demonstrate the application of this method, we conducted a six-year mortality cohort for all Japanese citizens. Our technique makes it easy to perform follow-up and longitudinal cohort surveys while accurately tracing patient data in large-scale medical claims databases.博士（医学）・甲第854号・令和4年12月22日Copyright: ©2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons BY 4.0 International (Attribution) License (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode), which permits the unrestricted distribution, reproduction and use of the article provided the original source and authors are credited

季節と天候による骨折リスクの差 : 日本のレセプト情報データベースを用いた、全ての年齢・部位に関する包括的な分析

Although age- and season-specific effects on fracture risk have been reported, the effects of seasonality across different age groups and for different fracture sites have not yet been clarified. Therefore, our study aimed to comprehensively investigate the effects of seasonality on fracture risk across age and fracture sites using a large-scale population database of fracture incidence. Fracture data were accumulated over a 3-year period in the region of Tokyo and in surrounding areas, which accounts for a total population of 42 million. Information on fracture occurrence, fracture site, and patient demographics were obtained from the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Specific Health Checkups of Japan (NDB). Over the study period, 508,051 fractures were identified across the following five age groups: 0-19, 20-39, 40-64, 65-79, and 80+ years. The incidence rate for fractures in 10 site groups was calculated. Fracture risk was the highest in the spring and autumn for children aged 0-19 years and was the highest in the winter for elderly individuals (65-79 and 80+ years). Toe fractures, which occurred more frequently in the summer, were the most notable exception. The risk of fracture of the distal radius and hip was associated with daily temperature and rainfall and was elevated on days with a mean temperature higher than that of the previous day. Fracture risk exhibited seasonal variations that differed between children and elderly individuals and between toe fractures and fractures at other sites. These findings can help us understand the epidemiology of fractures and develop preventive strategies, as well as aid in the allocation of healthcare resources.博士（医学）・甲第718号・令和元年9月27

Silicon self-diffusion in wadsleyite: Implications for rheology of the mantle transition zone and subducting plates

/s] exp (À248 [kJ/mol]/RT), respectively. Si diffusion rates in wadsleyite are about 5 orders of magnitude slower than Mg-Fe interdiffusion rates at 1400°C. Assuming that Si is the slowest diffusing species in wadsleyite, the geophysical model of the viscosity in the mantle transition zone can be explained by diffusion creep in wadsleyite for a grain size of about 0.5-5 mm. Some portions in cold subducting slabs, where the grain size reduces to less than 1 mm after the olivinespinel transformation, become weaker than the surrounding mantle

Monitoring Twenty-Six Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Patients by BCR-ABL mRNA Level in Bone Marrow: A Single Hospital Experience

Chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is caused by the BCR-ABL oncogene. The Philadelphia chromosome (Ph) from a reciprocal translocation, t(9;22) (q34;q11) causes a fusion gene, BCR-ABL, that encodes a constitutively active tyrosine kinase. Treatment of CML by imatinib is effective to control the tyrosyl phosphorylation of the protein related to the cell signaling. BCR-ABL mRNA is overexpressed in the minimal residual disease (MRD), known as an early sign of relapse. Between December 2005 and June 2008, we measured BCR-ABL mRNA levels in the bone marrow (BM) from patients by quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RQ-PCR) in Aomori Prefectural Central Hospital. Eighty-six samples from 26 patients were collected. Among the 26 CML patients, 11 patients (42%) were in the pretreatment group. Seven (64%) of the 11 patients achieved complete molecular response (CMR). In the post-treatment group consisting of the remaining 15 patients, 9 (60%) patients achieved CMR. The patients receiving imatinib at a dose over 300mg per day required 13 (6-77) months [median (range)] to achieve CMR. On the other hand, the patients receiving a dose below 300mg per day required 29.5 (11-84) months [median (range)]. When BCR-ABL mRNA was detected during the treatment course of patients with CMR, careful observation of BCR-ABL mRNA was useful for tracking the clinical course of patients. In conclusion, the BCR-ABL mRNA level was useful for monitoring the clinical course in 26 patients with CML

重症低血糖後の急性冠症候群の絶対リスク : 日本のナショナルデータベースを用いた一般集団対象の2年間のコホート研究

Aims/introduction: Although the epidemiological relationship between hypoglycemia and increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) has been well established, the time period for increased risk of ACS after a severe hypoglycemic episode remains unknown. The present study aimed to determine the ACS risk after a severe hypoglycemic episode. Materials and methods: We carried out a retrospective population-based cohort study based on national claims data in Japan. We retrieved data of diabetes patients aged ≥35 years collected from April 2014 to March 2016. The absolute risk of ACS was defined as the occurrence of an emergency percutaneous coronary intervention after a severe hypoglycemic episode. Results: In total, data of 7,909,626 patients were included in the analysis. The absolute risk of ACS was 2.9 out of 1,000 person-years in all patients. ACS risk in patients with severe hypoglycemic episodes was 3.0 out of 1,000 person-years. Severe hypoglycemic episodes increased the absolute risk of ACS in patients aged ≥70 years, but not in patients aged <70 years. The absolute risk of ACS was 10.6 out of 1,000 person-years within 10 days of a severe hypoglycemic episode. There was a significant trend between shorter duration after an episode and higher ACS risk. Conclusions: Severe hypoglycemia was associated with an increased risk of ACS in elderly diabetes patients. ACS risk increased with a shorter period after a severe hypoglycemic episode, suggesting that severe hypoglycemia leads to an increased risk of ACS in diabetes patients. These findings show that it is important to avoid severe hypoglycemia while treating diabetes, particularly in elderly patients.博士（医学）・甲第732号・令和2年3月16日© 2019 The Authors. Journal of Diabetes Investigation published by Asian Association for the Study of Diabetes (AASD) and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs License(https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/), which permits use and distribution in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made

日本における保険診療全透析患者追跡と死亡数の現状

Background: The survival rate of chronic dialysis patients in Japan remains the highest worldwide, so there is value in presenting Japan's situation internationally. We examined whether aggregate figures on dialysis patients in the National Database of Health Insurance Claims and Special Health Checkups of Japan (NDB), which contains data on insured procedures of approximately 100 million Japanese residents, complement corresponding figures in the Japanese Society for Dialysis Therapy Renal Data Registry (JRDR). Methods: Subjects were patients with medical fee points for dialysis recorded in the NDB during 2014-2018. We analyzed annual numbers of dialysis cases, newly initiated dialysis cases- and deaths. Results: Compared with the JRDR, the NDB had about 6-7% fewer dialysis cases but a similar number of newly initiated dialysis cases. In the NDB, the number of deaths was about 6-10% lower, and the number of hemodialysis cases was lower, while that of peritoneal dialysis cases was higher. The cumulative survival rate at dialysis initiation was approximately 6 percentage points lower in the NDB than in the JRDR, indicating that some patients die at dialysis initiation. Cumulative survival rate by age group was roughly the same between the NDB and JRDR in both sexes. Conclusion: The use of the NDB enabled us to aggregate data of dialysis patients. With the definition of dialysis patients used in this study, analyses of concomitant medications, comorbidities, surgeries, and therapies will become possible, which will be useful in many future studies.博士（医学）・甲第818号・令和4年3月15日© 2021. The Author(s).　Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attri bution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adapta tion, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article's Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article's Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/