Clinical and Laboratory Study of Sickle Cell/β-Thalassemia

We have studied 39 patients doubly heterozygous for sickle cell/β-thalassemia, 12 with sickle cell/βo- thalassemia and 27 with sickle cell/β+-thalassemia. Generally, sickle cell/βo-thalassemia is considered more severe than sickle cell/β+-thalassemia. In our study, however clinical complications in the group with sickle cell/β+-thalassemia were seen almost as frequently as in the group with sickle cell/βo-thalassemia. A wide variety of clinical manifestations were seen in both groups of patients

Images of nurses by senior high school students wishing to go on to the nursing course

本研究では、看護課程志望の高校生が看護職に対してどのようなイメージを持っているのか、看護教育機関の希望や将来の看護職種の希望は看護職に対するイメージと関係があるのかを明らかにしたいと考えた。岡山県下の全ての高校に在学中の看護課程志望高校生に対して、質問紙調査をおこなった。222名から回答が得られ、分析を行った結果、以下のことが明らかになった。1）看護課程志望高校生は看護職に対して非常に良いイメージを持っており、同時に労働条件の厳しさも理解していた。その良いイメージとは、看護職の持つ尊さや献身性に由来する自負心と、資格のもつ現実的利点であった。しかし、看護職の専門性を表す、高度な知識・判断・技術、生涯教育の必要性の認識は低かった。2）短大・大学を志望する高校生は、看護学校・准看護学校志望者に比べ、看護職は生涯教育を必要とするとイメージしていた。3）看護婦、保健婦、助産婦のどの職種を希望するかによって、看護職に対するイメージに違いがあった。A qusetionnaire survey was done by senior high school students wishing to go on to the nursing course in Okayama Prefecture, to know what images of nurses they had, what course for nursing education they wished to best for and what they would like nursing profession to be. Results of analysing data obtained from 222 students were as follows; 1. They had favorable images of nurses in high rates, although they also recognized the harsh working conditions. Those images were thought to be derived from the preciousness of nursing, devotion to people, and advantage of the license. But recognition of specialty of nursing indicated by items such as knowledge, judgement, skill and continuing education was low. 2. Necessity of continuing education was recognized by students wishing to go on to university or junior college better than students of vocational school of registered and assistant nurses. 3. Images of nurses were different by their choice of profession such as clinical nurses, public health nurses and midwives which they would like to be in the future

Suppressive Effects of Selected Food Phytochemicals on CD74 Expression in NCI-N87 Gastric Carcinoma Cells

Helicobacter pylori (H. pylori) is one of the most widespread human pathogens, and plays major roles in chronic gastritis and gastric cancer. CD74 of gastric epithelial cells has recently been identified as an adhesion molecule to urease in H. pylori. In this study, we found that CD74 is highly expressed in a constitutive manner in NCI-N87 human gastric carcinoma cells at both the protein and mRNA levels as compared with Hs738St./Int fetal gastric cells. Subsequently, a novel cell-based ELISA able to rapidly screen the suppressive agents of CD74 expression was established. NCI-N87 cells were treated separately with 25 different food phytochemicals (4–100 µM) for 48 h and subjected to our novel assay. From those results, a citrus coumarin, bergamottin, was indicated to be the most promising compound with an LC50/IC50 value greater than 7.1, followed by luteolin (>5.4), nobiletin (>5.3), and quercetin (>5.1). Our findings suggest that these CD74 suppressants are unique candidates for preventing H. pylori adhesion and subsequent infection with reasonable action mechanisms

Successful Extracorporeal Life Support for Life-threatening Hypercapnia with Bronchiolitis Obliterans after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation

Bronchiolitis obliterans (BO) is a disease with a poor prognosis, and a key factor that limits long-term survival after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We here report a case of a 31-year woman with acute lymphatic leukemia, which was treated by chemotherapy and HSCT, and consequently developed BO 2 years after HSCT. A non-tuberculous mycobacterial infection occurred and showed gradual exacerbation. She started taking anti-mycobacterial drugs, but lost appetite, felt tired and finally lost consciousness one month after beginning medication. Arterial blood gas revealed marked hypercapnia. Using extracorporeal life support (ECLS), the carbon dioxide concentration was reduced and her consciousness recovered. To our knowledge, this is the first case in which ECLS was successfully used for hypercapnia in a patient with BO

Chromatic dispersion measurements of long optical fibers by means of optical ranging system using a frequency-shifted feedback laser

金沢大学工学部In this paper, we describe the experimental results on the chromatic dispersion measurement of long optical fibers by means of optical ranging system using a wavelength-tunable frequency-shifted feedback (FSF) laser. The optical ranging system using an FSF laser has high spatial resolution of several centimeter over 10-km measurement range, and then the dependence of the group delay time of the lightwave in the optical fibers on the wavelength can be directly measured. The chromatic dispersion and the zero-dispersion wavelength of an 80-km-long dispersion shifted fiber was estimated, which are in good agreement with the result by the phase method