Identification of Respiratory Sounds Collected from Microphones Embedded in Mobile Phones

Sudden deterioration of condition in patients with various diseases, such as cardiopulmonary arrest, may result in poor outcome even after resuscitation. Early detection of deterioration is important in medical and long-term care settings, regardless of the acute or chronic phase of disease. Early detection and appropriate interventions are essential before resuscitating measures are required. Among the vital signs that indicate the general condition of a patient, respiratory rate has a greater ability to predict serious events such as thromboembolism and sepsis than heart rate and blood pressure, even in early stages. Despite its importance, however, respiratory rate is frequently overlooked and not measured, making it a neglected vital sign. To facilitate the measurement of respiratory rate, a non-invasive method of detecting respiratory sounds was developed based on deep learning technology, using a built-in microphone in a smartphone. Smartphones attached to the bed headboards of 20 participants undergoing polysomnography (PSG) at Kyoto University Hospital recorded respiratory sounds. Sound data were synchronized with overnight respiratory information. After excluding periods of abnormal breathing on the PSG report, sound data were processed for each 1-minute period. Expiration sound was determined using the pressure flow sensor signal on PSG. Finally, a model to identify the expiration section from the sound information was created using a deep learning algorithm from the convolutional Long Short Term Memory network. The accuracy of the learning model in identifying the expiratory section was 0.791, indicating that respiratory rate can be determined using the microphone in a smartphone. By collecting data from more patients and improving the accuracy of this method, respiratory rates could be more easily monitored in all situations, both inside and outside the hospital

Predicting the Start of the Aedes albopictus (Diptera: Culicidae) Female Adult Biting Season Using the Spring Temperature in Japan

Aedes albopictus (Skuse) (Diptera: Culicidae) is distributed widely and is common in much of Japan. In Japan, female adults begin to bite in between April and June, except in the southern subtropics where the mosquito has no dormant period. It is difficult to estimate the first Ae. albopictus biting day because it varies annually depending on the location. Over several years, we surveyed the mosquitoes at different locations that covered a range of warmer to cooler areas of Japan. We found an association between the timing of first biting day by Ae. albopictus and spring temperature. In spring months, the strongest correlation was found with mean April temperatures, followed by March. Based on these data, it may, therefore, be possible to apply a simple formula to predict the timing of the first biting day at various geographical locations in Japan. Forecasting maps were created using a simple prediction formula. We found that the first biting day for Ae. albopictus changed depending on early spring temperatures for each year. There was an approximate 20-d difference in first biting day between years with warmer and cooler springs. This prediction model will provide useful insight for planning and practice of Ae. albopictus control programs, targeting larvae and adults, in temperate regions globally.ArticleJournal of Medical Entomology.54(6):1519-1524(2017)journal articl

Design and Performance of Superconducting Magnets for Hybrid Magnets(Part I. Establishment and Tests of Hybrid Magnet System at HFLSM)

Design, construction and performance of three superconducting magnets for the hybrid magnets installed in the High Field Laboratory for Superconducting Materials are described in detail. The compact solenoid, SM-3, without fully cryostable design forms the outer part of the most compact hybrid magnet in the world, HM-3 (32 mm bore, 20 T). Fully cryostable superconducting magnet designed under the Steckly criterion, SM-2, is the outer part of HM-2 (52 mm bore, 23 T), which has been most attractive to many experimentalists. SM-1, the outer part of HM-1 (32/52 mm bore, 31/28 T), with the Williams cryostability criterion is the world largest one of the superconducting magnets which employ Ti-doped Nb_3Sn multifilamentary conductors and can generate more than 12 T

General Survey of Tohoku Hybrid Magnet System(Part I. Establishment and Tests of Hybrid Magnet System at HFLSM)

Outline of Tohoku Hybrid Magnet system is briefly described. High Field Laboratory was established in the Research Institute for Iron, Steel and Other Metals, Tohoku University, in 1981, for accelerating research and development of high field superconducting materials. Three hybrid magnets generating magnetic fields more than 20 T have been constructed as its main apparatuses. The strongest hybrid magnet, HM-1, could produce 31.1 T in November, 1986, which was the world record as this kind of hybrid magnet. Several important features of the hybrid magnet system are introduced which will be also useful to understand the following papers

Impaired CD4⁺ T cell response in older adults is associated with reduced immunogenicity and reactogenicity of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination

高齢者のT細胞応答は立ち上がりが遅く収束は早い --新型コロナワクチン接種機会を活用した免疫応答の個人差・年齢差の解明--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-01-13.T-Cell Responses in the Elderly Rise Slowly and Contract Quickly --Learning About Individual and Age Differences in Immune Response From COVID-19 Vaccinations--. 京都大学プレスリリース. 2023-01-13.Whether age-associated defects in T cells impact the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of mRNA vaccines remains unclear. Using a vaccinated cohort (n = 216), we demonstrated that older adults (aged ≥65 years) had fewer vaccine-induced spike-specific CD4⁺ T cells including CXCR3⁺ circulating follicular helper T cells and the TH1 subset of helper T cells after the first dose, which correlated with their lower peak IgG levels and fewer systemic adverse effects after the second dose, compared with younger adults. Moreover, spike-specific TH1 cells in older adults expressed higher levels of programmed cell death protein 1, a negative regulator of T cell activation, which was associated with low spike-specific CD8⁺ T cell responses. Thus, an inefficient CD4⁺ T cell response after the first dose may reduce the production of helper T cytokines, even after the second dose, thereby lowering humoral and cellular immunity and reducing systemic reactogenicity. Therefore, enhancing CD4⁺ T cell response following the first dose is key to improving vaccine efficacy in older adults

Experimental model for the irradiation-mediated abscopal effect and factors influencing this effect

Radiotherapy (RT) is the primary treatment for cancer. Ionizing radiation from RT induces tumor damage at the irradiated site, and, although clinically infrequent, may cause regression of tumors distant from the irradiated site-a phenomenon known as the abscopal effect. Recently, the abscopal effect has been related to prolongation of overall survival time in cancer patients, though the factors that influence the abscopal effect are not well understood. The aim of this study is to clarify the factors influencing on abscopal effect. Here, we established a mouse model in which we induced the abscopal effect. We injected MC38 (mouse colon adenocarcinoma) cells subcutaneously into C57BL/6 mice at two sites. Only one tumor was irradiated and the sizes of both tumors were measured over time. The non-irradiated-site tumor showed regression, demonstrating the abscopal effect. This effect was enhanced by an increase in the irradiated-tumor volume and by administration of anti-PD1 antibody. When the abscopal effect was induced by a combination of RT and anti-PD1 antibody, it was also influenced by radiation dose and irradiated-tumor volume. These phenomena were also verified in other cell line, B16F10 cells (mouse melanoma cells). These findings provide further evidence of the mechanism for, and factors that influence, the abscopal effect in RT

Combination treatment with highly bioavailable curcumin and NQO1 inhibitor exhibits potent antitumor effects on esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most intractable cancers, so the development of novel therapeutics has been required to improve patient outcomes. Curcumin, a polyphenol from Curcuma longa, exhibits various health benefits including antitumor effects, but its clinical utility is limited because of low bioavailability. Theracurmin® (THC) is a highly bioavailable curcumin dispersed with colloidal submicron particles. Methods: We examined antitumor effects of THC on ESCC cells by cell viability assay, colony and spheroid formation assay, and xenograft models. To reveal its mechanisms, we investigated the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and performed microarray gene expression analysis. According to those analyses, we focused on NQO1, which involved in the removal of ROS, and examined the effects of NQO1-knockdown or overexpression on THC treatment. Moreover, the therapeutic effect of THC and NQO1 inhibitor on ESCC patient-derived xenografts (PDX) was investigated. Results: THC caused cytotoxicity in ESCC cells, and suppressed the growth of xenografted tumors more efficiently than curcumin. THC increased ROS levels and activated the NRF2–NMRAL2P–NQO1 expressions. Inhibition of NQO1 in ESCC cells by shRNA or NQO1 inhibitor resulted in an increased sensitivity of cells to THC, whereas overexpression of NQO1 antagonized it. Notably, NQO1 inhibitor significantly enhanced the antitumor effects of THC in ESCC PDX tumors. Conclusions: These findings suggest the potential usefulness of THC and its combination with NQO1 inhibitor as a therapeutic option for ESCC

HER2 G776S mutation promotes oncogenic potential in colorectal cancer cells when accompanied by loss of APC function

Clinical cancer genome sequencing detects oncogenic variants that are potential targets for cancer treatment, but it also detects variants of unknown significance. These variants may interact with each other to influence tumor pathophysiology, however, such interactions have not been fully elucidated. Additionally, the effect of target therapy for those variants also unclarified. In this study, we investigated the biological functions of a HER2 mutation (G776S mutation) of unknown pathological significance, which was detected together with APC mutation by cancer genome sequencing of samples from a colorectal cancer (CRC) patient. Transfection of the HER2 G776S mutation alone slightly increased the kinase activity and phosphorylation of HER2 protein, but did not activate HER2 downstream signaling or alter the cell phenotype. On the other hand, the HER2 G776S mutation was shown to have strong oncogenic potential when loss of APC function was accompanied. We revealed that loss of APC function increased Wnt pathway activity but also increased RAS-GTP, which increased ERK phosphorylation triggered by HER2 G776S transfection. In addition, afatinib, a pan-HER tyrosine kinase inhibitor, suppressed tumor growth in xenografts derived from HER2 G776S-transfected CRC cells. These findings suggest that this HER2 mutation in CRC may be a potential therapeutic target

Visceral fat obesity is the key risk factor for the development of reflux erosive esophagitis in 40–69-years subjects

[Background] Visceral fat obesity can be defined quantitatively by abdominal computed tomography, however, the usefulness of measuring visceral fat area to assess the etiology of gastrointestinal reflux disease has not been fully elucidated. [Methods] A total of 433 healthy subjects aged 40–69 years (234 men, 199 women) were included in the study. The relationship between obesity-related factors (total fat area, visceral fat area, subcutaneous fat area, waist circumference, and body mass index) and the incidence of reflux erosive esophagitis was investigated. Lifestyle factors and stomach conditions relevant to the onset of erosive esophagitis were also analyzed. [Results] The prevalence of reflux erosive esophagitis was 27.2% (118/433; 106 men, 12 women). Visceral fat area was higher in subjects with erosive esophagitis than in those without (116.6 cm2 vs. 64.9 cm2, respectively). The incidence of erosive esophagitis was higher in subjects with visceral fat obesity (visceral fat area ≥ 100 cm2) than in those without (61.2% vs. 12.8%, respectively). Visceral fat obesity had the highest odds ratio (OR) among obesity-related factors. Multivariate analysis showed that visceral fat area was associated with the incidence of erosive esophagitis (OR = 2.18), indicating that it is an independent risk factor for erosive esophagitis. In addition, daily alcohol intake (OR = 1.54), gastric atrophy open type (OR = 0.29), and never-smoking history (OR = 0.49) were also independently associated with the development of erosive esophagitis. [Conclusions] Visceral fat obesity is the key risk factor for the development of reflux erosive esophagitis in subjects aged 40–69 years