Nurses\u27 Perception of Necessary Factors in Gaining Consent from Patients: Verbal-mediated Communication and Non-verbal Communication

This research analyzed factors necessary for obtaining consent from the patient as perceived by nurses. Explaining things to patients and listening to the patient\u27s voice were defined as factors of verbal-mediated communication. The attitude toward patients (such as nods, making eye contact) and the tone of voice were defined as factors of non-verbal communication. A questionnaire survey was administered to nurses (n=142) (Mean age=30.2, SD=8.7) in December, 2007. The respondents were asked to rate the extent of importance by degrees of providing a lot of information to patients (explaining), listening to the patient\u27s voice (listening), their attitude toward the patients (such as nods and eye contact), and the tone of voice when talking to the patients. The result suggested that nurses regard non-verbal communication as a factor more important than verbal-mediated communication

Effect of Hormones on Expression of Prolactin Receptor Messenger Ribonucleic Acids in Pancreatic Islets of Adult Female Mice in Vitro

We studied the effects of hormones on expression of prolactin receptor (PRL-R) mRNA in pancreatic islets of adult female mice in vitro. We quantified mRNA expression in small amounts of the islet tissue by competitive PCR and one-sided competitive PCR. Fifty pancreatic islets from adult female mice were cultured in a well for 4 days with or without ovine prolactin (PRL), bovine growth hormone or estradiol-17β. PRL (1μg/ml) significantly increased the insulin secretion and the amount of PRL-R mRNA relative to that of β-actin mRNA. Growth hormone (1μg/ml) also increased the relative amount of PRL-R mRNA, although it did not significantly increase the insulin secretion. Neither insulin secretion nor the relative amount of PRL-R mRNA was affected by estradiol (100 ng/ml). The ratio of the short form to the long form of PRL-R mRNA was not altered by these hormones. The present observation that PRL increased PRL-R mRNA expression in pancreatic islets thus suggests the possibility that PRL up-regulates the tissue sensitivity to PRL itself during lactation

Experimental Research on Performances of Air Turbines for a Fixed Oscillating Water Column-Type Wave Energy Converter

A fixed oscillating water column (OWC)-type wave energy converter is composed of an air chamber for primary conversion and an air turbine for secondary conversion. In the optimal design method of a fixed OWC-type wave energy converter, it is necessary to develop a design method which can consider the characteristics of incident wave motion, the motion of the internal free surface affected in the structure such as a partly submerged wall, the fluctuation of air pressure in an air chamber, the rotation of the air turbine. In this paper, the 2-dimensional wave tank tests in regular waves for the performance evaluation of the air turbines in a fixed OWC-type wave energy converter were conducted to obtain the data needed to make this design method. As the results, the effects of the impulse turbine specification such as the rotor inlet/outlet angle, the guide vane's number and the vane's setting angle on the primary and secondary conversion efficiencies are clarified experimentally. Furthermore, the performances of the Wells turbines with different number of blade are presented for comparison of the operating condition

Trabecular health of vertebrae based on anisotropy in trabecular architecture and collagen/apatite micro-arrangement after implantation of intervertebral fusion cages in the sheep spine

Healthy trabecular bone shows highly anisotropic trabecular architecture and the preferential orientation of collagen and apatite inside a trabecula, both of which are predominantly directed along the cephalocaudal axis. This makes trabecular bone stiff in the principally loaded direction (cephalocaudal axis). However, changes in these anisotropic trabecular characteristics after the insertion of implant devices remain unclear. We defined the trabecular architectural anisotropy and the preferential orientation of collagen and apatite as parameters of trabecular bone health. In the present study, we analyzed these parameters after the implantation of two types of intervertebral fusion cages, open and closed box-type cages, into sheep spines for 2 and 4 months. Alteration and evolution of trabecular health around and inside the cages depended on the cage type and implantation duration. At the boundary region, the values of trabecular architectural anisotropy and apatite orientation for the closed-type cages were similar to those for isotropic conditions. In contrast, significantly larger anisotropy was found for open-type cages, indicating that the open-type cage tended to maintain trabecular anisotropy. Inside the open-type cage, trabecular architectural anisotropy and apatite orientation significantly increased with time after implantation. Assessing trabecular anisotropy might be useful for the evaluation of trabecular health and the validation and refinement of implant designs.Ishimoto T., Yamada K., Takahashi H., et al. Trabecular health of vertebrae based on anisotropy in trabecular architecture and collagen/apatite micro-arrangement after implantation of intervertebral fusion cages in the sheep spine. Bone, 108, 25. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bone.2017.12.012

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumor arising from the greater omentum: Case report

Malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumors (MPNSTs) are rare soft tissue tumors that arise from a peripheral nerve or exhibit nerve sheath differentiation. Most of these tumors arise on the trunk, extremities, or head and neck regions; they are very rarely located in the abdominal cavity. The patient was a 71-year-old man who was referred to our hospital for a mass and pain in the right lower abdomen. Abdominal computed tomography revealed a large (9 × 9 cm), well-circumscribed, lobulated, heterogeneously enhanced mass in the pelvis. Exploratory laparotomy revealed a large mass in the greater omentum, and the tumor was completely excised. Histopathological analysis revealed that the tumor was composed of spindle cells with high mitotic activity. On staining the tumor, positive results were obtained for S-100 but negative results were obtained for c-kit, cluster of differentiation (CD)34, α-smooth muscle actin, and desmin. These findings strongly supported a diagnosis of MPNST primarily arising from the greater omentum. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case of an MPNST arising from the greater omentum. In this report, we have described the case of a patient with an MPNST arising from the greater omentum and have discussed the clinical characteristics and management of MPNSTs

All-electron GW calculation based on the LAPW method: application to wurtzite ZnO

We present a new, all-electron implementation of the GW approximation and apply it to wurtzite ZnO. Eigenfunctions computed in the local-density approximation (LDA) by the full-potential linearized augmented-plane-wave (LAPW) or the linearized muffin-tin-orbital (LMTO) method supply the input for generating the Green function G and the screened Coulomb interaction W. A mixed basis is used for the expansion of W, consisting of plane waves in the interstitial region and augmented-wavefunction products in the augmentation-sphere regions. The frequency-dependence of the dielectric function is computed within the random-phase approximation (RPA), without a plasmon-pole approximation. The Zn 3d orbitals are treated as valence states within the LDA; both core and valence states are included in the self-energy calculation. The calculated bandgap is smaller than experiment by about 1eV, in contrast to previously reported GW results. Self-energy corrections are orbital-dependent, and push down the deep O 2s and Zn 3d levels by about 1eV relative to the LDA. The d level shifts closer to experiment but the size of shift is underestimated, suggesting that the RPA overscreens localized states.Comment: 10 pages, 3 figures, submitted to Phys. Rev.

The Endocannabinoid 2-Arachidonoylglycerol Produced by Diacylglycerol Lipase α Mediates Retrograde Suppression of Synaptic Transmission

SummaryEndocannabinoids are released from postsynaptic neurons and cause retrograde suppression of synaptic transmission. Anandamide and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) are regarded as two major endocannabinoids. To determine to what extent 2-AG contributes to retrograde signaling, we generated and analyzed mutant mice lacking either of the two 2-AG synthesizing enzymes diacylglycerol lipase α (DGLα) and β (DGLβ). We found that endocannabinoid-mediated retrograde synaptic suppression was totally absent in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and striatum of DGLα knockout mice, whereas the retrograde suppression was intact in DGLβ knockout brains. The basal 2-AG content was markedly reduced and stimulus-induced elevation of 2-AG was absent in DGLα knockout brains, whereas the 2-AG content was normal in DGLβ knockout brains. Morphology of the brain and expression of molecules required for 2-AG production other than DGLs were normal in the two knockout mice. We conclude that 2-AG produced by DGLα, but not by DGLβ, mediates retrograde suppression at central synapses