Distribution of Air Temperature in Tajimi City in Summer

To research the distribution of air temperature in the city of Tajimi, Gifu prefecture, a total of 15 thermometers were placed at the schools and parks in the city of Tajimi, and the city of Kasugai, Aichi prefecture in August 2010. From the distribution of monthly average air temperature, air temperature at the center of Tajimi city was higher than the suburbs. Also, the days of daily minimum air temperature more than or equal to 25°C and daily maximum air temperature more than or equal to 35°C at the elementary school near the center of Tajimi city was more than those at other schools. This tendency appeared more clearly on the days of daily minimum air temperature more than or equal to 25°C. Also, the air temperature near the center of the city was higher than that ofthe suburbs in the early morning. Thus, it was indicated that the air temperature was hard to decrease as the bottom of the basin. From these results, the influence of urbanization to the formation of the daily minimum temperature in Tajimi city was indicated

Observational Study and Numerical Prediction Experiments on Wet-Bulb Globe Temperature in Tajimi, Gifu Prefecture: Consideration of Uncertainty with a Physics Parameterization Scheme and Horizontal Resolution of the Weather Research and Forecasting Model

As part of research on the actual conditions of the thermal environment surrounding the city of Tajimi, Gifu prefecture, and the city of Kasugai, Aichi prefecture, the surface air temperature and wet-bulb globe temperature (WBGT) were investigated by observation at these locations on clear-sky days in August 2010. Numerical prediction experiments on the WBGT were performed to confirm the utility of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) model. Sensitivity experiments utilizing physics parameterization schemes and horizontal resolution of the WRF model were conducted to confirm the predicted WBGT. The resultsshowed that the maximum sensitivity with the parameterization scheme was 8.4°C for the daytime average, and especially, the simple thermal diffusion surface (SLAB) scheme caused an over/estimation of 6.8°C. On the other hand, the maximum sensitivity with horizontal resolution was 0.5°C, which is much less than that with the parameterization scheme

Factors causing climatologically high temperatures in a hottest city in Japan: a multi-scale analysis of Tajimi

In this study, multi-scale climatological features of extreme high temperature (EHT) events in Tajimi, the hottest cities in Japan, were investigated using observational data collected by the Japan Meteorological Agency over the past 23 years, and original data observed by the authors over the last 3 years. Results revealed the background factors that lead to climatologically high temperatures in Tajimi: the occurrence of a characteristic pressure pattern called ‘whale’: the synoptic-scale factors, and the urbanization of Tajimi: the meso-γ-scale factors. In addition, the high temperatures measured in Tajimi are affected by the foehn-like westerly airflow coming from the mountains located in the northwest/west towards the Nobi Plain where Tajimi is located at the east end: the meso-β-scale factors, and the location of the Tajimi observation site, which is within an urbanized area where the highest temperatures tend to be observed: the micro-scale factors. In contrast, statistical analysis demonstrated that the small-scale basin effects and soil dryness around Tajimi were of lesser importance than aforementioned factors, in the occurrence of EHT events in Tajimi

教育センターにおける不登校中高生のための居場所づくり活動 : 教育と臨床心理の視点を生かした協働のプロセス

In this study we discuss how different professionals (educational staff and psychological staff) would be able to collaborate with each other and what its promotional or obstructive factors are, by examining their collaboration process from both of each standpoint. Every staff initially felt some sort of discomfort during the activity, but no one didn\u27t try to express it or share it with other staff. At this critical situation, psychological staff took courage in suggesting to educational staff to have a joint case conference. After the conference, both staff gradually came to express their opinion freely and to have responsibility for their own roles to support students. This process showed that it\u27s a lack of self−awareness as professional, not a difference in professionalism, that hinder effective collaboration. It also showed that approaching other staff actively, having common goals and presence of a supervisor would help them to promote collaboration between them. In addition, it suggested that collaborating with different professionals requires us to have courage to reform ourselves and accept influence from others

Short-Chain Fatty Acids in Gut–Heart Axis: Their Role in the Pathology of Heart Failure

Heart failure (HF) is a syndrome with global clinical and socioeconomic burden worldwide owing to its poor prognosis. Accumulating evidence has implicated the possible contribution of gut microbiota-derived metabolites, short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), on the pathology of a variety of diseases. The changes of SCFA concentration were reported to be observed in various cardiovascular diseases including HF in experimental animals and humans. HF causes hypoperfusion and/or congestion in the gut, which may lead to lowered production of SCFAs, possibly through the pathological changes of the gut microenvironment including microbiota composition. Recent studies suggest that SCFAs may play a significant role in the pathology of HF, possibly through an agonistic effect on G-protein-coupled receptors, histone deacetylases (HDACs) inhibition, restoration of mitochondrial function, amelioration of cardiac inflammatory response, its utilization as an energy source, and remote effect attributable to a protective effect on the other organs. Collectively, in the pathology of HF, SCFAs might play a significant role as a key mediator in the gut–heart axis. However, these possible mechanisms have not been entirely clarified and need further investigation

Sex Differences in Cardiac and Clinical Phenotypes and Their Relation to Outcomes in Patients with Heart Failure

Biological sex is one of the major factors characterizing the heart failure (HF) patient phenotype. Understanding sex-related differences in HF is crucial to implement personalized care for HF patients with various phenotypes. There are sex differences in left ventricular (LV) remodeling patterns in the HF setting, namely, more likely concentric remodeling and diastolic dysfunction in women and eccentric remodeling and systolic dysfunction in men. Recently supra-normal EF (snLVEF) has been recognized as a risk of worse outcome. This pathology might be more relevant in female patients. The possible mechanism may be through coronary microvascular dysfunction and sympathetic nerve overactivation from the findings of previous studies. Further, estrogen deficit might play a significant role in this pathophysiology. The sex difference in body composition may also be related to the difference in LV remodeling and outcome. Lower implementation in guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT) in female HFrEF patients might also be one of the factors related to sex differences in relation to outcomes. In this review, we will discuss the sex differences in cardiac and clinical phenotypes and their relation to outcomes in HF patients and further discuss how to provide appropriate treatment strategies for female patients

β₁ Adrenergic Receptor Autoantibodies and IgG Subclasses: Current Status and Unsolved Issues

A wide range of anti-myocardial autoantibodies have been reported since the 1970s. Among them, autoantibodies against the β1-adrenergic receptor (β1AR-AAb) have been the most thoroughly investigated, especially in dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). Β1AR-Aabs have agonist effects inducing desensitization of β1AR, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and sustained calcium influx which lead to cardiac dysfunction and arrhythmias. Β1AR-Aab has been reported to be detected in approximately 40% of patients with DCM, and the presence of the antibody has been associated with worse clinical outcomes. The removal of anti-myocardial autoantibodies including β1AR-AAb by immunoadsorption is beneficial for the improvement of cardiac function for DCM patients. However, several studies have suggested that its efficacy depended on the removal of AAbs belonging to the IgG3 subclass, not total IgG. IgG subclasses differ in the structure of the Fc region, suggesting that the mechanism of action of β1AR-AAb differs depending on the IgG subclasses. Our previous clinical research demonstrated that the patients with β1AR-AAb better responded to β-blocker therapy, but the following studies found that its response also differed among IgG subclasses. Further studies are needed to elucidate the possible pathogenic role of IgG subclasses of β1AR-AAbs in DCM, and the broad spectrum of cardiovascular diseases including HF with preserved ejection fraction

The Safety and Efficacy of Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 Inhibitors for Patients with Sarcopenia or Frailty: Double Edged Sword?

Sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT-2is) show cardiovascular protective effects, regardless of the patient’s history of diabetes mellitus (DM). SGLT2is suppressed cardiovascular adverse events in patients with type 2 DM, and furthermore, SGLT-2is reduced the risk of worsening heart failure (HF) events or cardiovascular death in patients with HF. Along with these research findings, SGLT-2is are recommended for patients with HF in the latest guidelines. Despite these benefits, the concern surrounding the increasing risk of body weight loss and other adverse events has not yet been resolved, especially for patients with sarcopenia or frailty. The DAPA-HF and DELIVER trials consistently showed the efficacy and safety of SGLT-2i for HF patients with frailty. However, the Rockwood frailty index that derived from a cumulative deficit model was employed for frailty assessment in these trials, which might not be suitable for the evaluation of physical frailty or sarcopenia alone. There is no fixed consensus on which evaluation tool to use or its cutoff value for the diagnosis and assessment of frailty in HF patients, or which patients can receive SGLT-2i safely. In this review, we summarize the methodology of frailty assessment and discuss the efficacy and safety of SGLT-2i for HF patients with sarcopenia or frailty