リュウシケイ オヨビ ソセイ オ セイギョ スル コト ニヨル ユビキタス ブッシツ ノ コウキノウカ : LaTiO2N ケイ サンチッカブツ ノ コウガク トクセイ ノ セイギョ

Some Perovskite-type LaTiO2+xN1-x with anion nonstoichiometry were prepared by heating an oxide precursor under ammonia atmosphere and successively annealed under diluted ammonia. Increasing O/N ratio enhances the optical bandgap of the oxynitrides. A series of perovskite-type LaTiO2N materials with compositions a slightly deviated from the stoichiometric metal composition was also prepared. Increasing Ti/La ratio in La1-xTi1+xTiO2N results in deterioration of reflectivity in the longer wavelength region above the absorption edge. A substitution of La by Sr was effective in the enhancement of reflectivity there. Though the increase of O/N ratio in the LaTiO2+xN1-x series was found to cause oxidation of titanium by means of XPS spectroscopy, the valence state of titanium did not change in either the La1-xTi1+xO2N or the La1-xSrxTiO2N series. The increase in Ti/La ratio in the La1-xTi1+xO2N brought the grain/particle growth, which seemed to result in the deterioration of reflectivity

Prevalence and Comorbidity of Anxiety and Depressive Disorders in Studies of PRIME-MD and PHQ (Patient Health Questionnaire) in Japan

We examine two studies on the prevalence and comorbidity of anxiety and depressive disorders in Japanese patients in primary care settings. The PRIME-MD study (Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders) in Japan was conducted in seven primary care sites. The sample group included 601 adult patients (249 males, 352 females, mean age = 58.9 years, SD = 16.5). Of the 12.5% of patients diagnosed with mood disorders, 5.0% (n = 29) were major depressive disorder, and 6.7% (n = 40) were minor depressive disorder. The odds ratio for co-occurrence of major depressive disorder with generalized anxiety disorders and major depressive disorder with anxiety disorders (NOS) was 11.5 (95% CI: 2.17–18.45) and 8.00 (95% CI: 3.19–20.07), respectively. The PHQ (Patient Health Questionnaire) study in Japan was conducted in eleven primary care sites. A total of 1409 adult patients (611 males, 797 females; mean age: 56.2 years, SD: ±20.4) completed the PHQ in full. The prevalence of diagnosis of any mood disorder or any anxiety disorder was 25.0%. Of the 15.8% of patients diagnosed with mood disorders, 5.3% were for major depression and 8.4% for other depressive disorders. The odds ratio for co-occurrence of major depressive disorder with other anxiety disorders was 30.4 (95% CI: 13.19–70.28)

Questionnaire-based characterization of bronchial asthma in the elderly: Analysis in Niigata Prefecture, Japan

Background: Because the mean lifespan is increasing and the percentage of elderly people among the population as a whole is also increasing, the management of elderly bronchial asthma patients will be an important issue in medicine in the future. In the present study, based on questionnaires given to 3224 asthmatic patients in Niigata Prefecture, the characteristics, management and circumstances of elderly asthmatic patients were investigated. Methods: Questionnaires were completed by asthmatic patients and their physicians in participating institutions within Niigata Prefecture from September to October 1999. Patients more than 65 years of age were defined as elderly asthmatic patients and a comparison was made between these patients and younger asthmatic patients who were less than 64 years of age and were used as a control group. Results: In the classification of bronchial asthma, a greater frequency of infectious and mixed-type bronchial asthma was found in the elderly, whereas the use of peak flow meters was lower in this group. Significant differences were found for both self- evaluation of the condition of the asthma and satisfaction with daily life between the two age groups. A lower incidence of ambulance use, emergency room visits and use of inhaled steroids was observed in elderly patients, although the incidence of hospitalization and use of oral steroids was higher. The discrepancy between objective and subjective evaluation of asthma control, the incidence of the use of both inhaled and oral steroids and the low use of peak flow meters were problematic in the elderly. Conclusions: Based on sufficient consideration of the problems specifically related to elderly asthmatic patients, adequate education and careful management of asthma in this group are required, and the accumulation of these steps will result in the achievement of the guidelines final goals

Questionnaire-based analysis of the current level of asthma control and management in Niigata Prefecture, Japan: Changes from 1998 to 2000

Background: It is very important to use antiinflammatory agents, including inhaled corticosteroids, in the management of asthma because bronchial inflammation is a fundamental component of bronchial asthma. Although management according to this strategy is recommended in several countries, the actual situation of asthmatic patients in Japan is poorly understood. To clarify the actual management of asthma in Japan, the present study was undertaken. Methods: In 1998, for 8 weeks from September through to October, questionnaires on asthma control and satisfaction in daily life were given to asthmatic patients. In addition, questionnaires regarding patient profiles and medication were given to the patients' physicians. The same questionnaires were repeated in 1999 and 2000. The information obtained from the same patients and their physicians who responded in each of the three years was used for analysis. Results: We analyzed 840 cases. During this period, over 80% of patients used oral theophylline, although the percentage of patients using inhaled steroids and leukotriene receptor antagonists increased from 67.0 and 29.8% in 1998 to 75.1 and 34.2%, respectively, in 2000. Asthma control (including the presence of attacks and self-evaluation by each patient), asthma- related symptoms and sleep disturbance improved significantly. However, there was no improvement in satisfaction in daily life of asthmatic patients surveyed. Multiple-regression analysis revealed that self-evaluation of asthma control by each patient was significantly related to improvement in satisfaction in daily life. Conclusion: These results indicate that antiinflammatory agents, including inhaled corticosteroids and leukotriene receptor antagonists, contributed to improved asthma control, whereas oral theophylline is characteristically used in Niigata Prefecture, Japan. However, not all asthma-related problems, such as satisfaction in daily life, improved and self-evaluation of asthma control by patients may play a key role in improving their satisfaction in daily life

Significance of a histone-like protein with its native structure for the diagnosis of asymptomatic tuberculosis

Tuberculosis causes the highest mortality among all single infections. Asymptomatic tuberculosis, afflicting one third of the global human population, is the major source as 5–10% of asymptomatic cases develop active tuberculosis during their lifetime. Thus it is one of important issues to develop diagnostic tools for accurately detecting asymptomatic infection. Mycobacterial DNA-binding protein 1 (MDP1) is a major protein in persistent Mycobacterium tuberculosis and has potential for diagnostic use in detecting asymptomatic infection. However, a previous ELISA-based study revealed a specificity problem; IgGs against MDP1 were detected in both M. tuberculosis-infected and uninfected individuals. Although the tertiary structures of an antigen are known to influence antibody recognition, the MDP1 structural details have not yet been investigated. The N-terminal half of MDP1, homologous to bacterial histone-like protein HU, is predicted to be responsible for DNA-binding, while the C-terminal half is assumed as totally intrinsically disordered regions. To clarify the relationship between the MDP1 tertiary structure and IgG recognition, we refined the purification method, which allow us to obtain a recombinant protein with the predicted structure. Furthermore, we showed that an IgG-ELISA using MDP1 purified by our refined method is indeed useful in the detection of asymptomatic tuberculosis

Comparison of alemtuzumab, anti-thymocyte globulin, and post-transplant cyclophosphamide for graft-versus-host disease and graft-versus-leukemia in murine models.

Graft-versus-host disease is a major complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for hematological malignancies. Immunosuppressive drugs, such as anti-thymocyte globulin, alemtuzumab, and post-transplant cyclophosphamide, have been used to prevent graft-versus-host disease in HLA-mismatched haploidentical hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. Here, we investigated whether these drugs could ameliorate graft-versus-host disease without diminishing the graft-versus-leukemia effect by using a xenogeneic transplanted graft-versus-host disease/graft-versus-leukemia model. Anti-thymocyte globulin treatment diminished graft-versus-host disease symptoms, completely depleted the infiltration of inflammatory cells in the liver and intestine, and led to prolonged survival. By contrast, improvement after post-transplant cyclophosphamide treatment remained minimal. Alemtuzumab treatment modestly prolonged survival despite an apparent decrease of Tregs. In the graft-versus-leukemia model, 1.5 to 2.0 mg/kg of anti-thymocyte globulin and 0.6 to 0.9 mg/kg of alemtuzumab reduced graft-versus-host disease with minimal loss of graft-versus-leukemia effect. Mice treated with 400 mg/kg of post-transplant cyclophosphamide did not develop graft-versus-host disease or leukemia, but it was difficult to evaluate the graft-versus-leukemia effect due to the sensitivity of A20 cells to cyclophosphamide. Although the current settings provide narrow optimal therapeutic windows, further studies are warranted to maximize the benefits of each immunosuppressant