Luminescence and Potentiometric Studies on the Complexation of Europium(III) by Picolinate in an Aqueous Solution

The complexation of Eu3+ aquo ions by picolinic acid in an aqueous solution was investigated to describe the formation of polynuclear complexes that are uncommon for trivalent lanthanides. Potentiometric titration indicated that no polynuclear complexes formed via hydroxide bridges, even at high pH, and that the monomeric form [Eu(Pic)4_(H2O)]  was present when a large excess of a picolinate ligand was used. In addition, lifetime analysis of Eu3+ luminescence via time-resolved laser-induced fluorescence spectroscopy was performed under conditions where Eu(pic)2+ appears as the secondary dominant species. Strong quenching of the luminescence was detected, suggesting that polymeric complexes ([Eu(Pic)]m2m+) form, even at low pH, owing to a vicinal Eu-Eu interaction

Evaluation of fat-free mass by whole-body counter in Japanese healthy young adults

Whole-body counters (WBCs) are special instruments for measuring internal irradiation doses and are usually housed within or around nuclear facilities in the event of unexpected radiation emergencies. As a substantial proportion of total body potassium (TBK) is found in fat-free mass (FFM), FFM volume can be predicted from WBC-measured 40K. We screened TBK in Japanese healthy young adults using a WBC and found strong linear correlations between TBK and lean body mass (LBM) and body mass index (r = 0.97, P < 0.01 and r = 0.47, P < 0.01, respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis, following adjustments for sex, indicates that only LBM has a significant correlation with TBK (P < 0.01). These results strongly support the feasibility of using WBCs for estimating FF

Estimation of Blood Loss in Total Knee Arthroplasty with and without Tourniquet

Total knee arthroplasty (TKA) without a tourniquet can reduce the risk of large venous emboli, but is associated with increased blood loss. To provide an accurate estimate of this blood loss, we divided 136 patients who underwent primary TKA into four groups based on the type of operation: 1) bilateral TKA with tourniquet; 2) bilateral TKA without tourniquet; 3) unilateral TKA with tourniquet; and 4) unilateral TKA without tourniquet. Blood loss was estimated by calculating the fall in hemoglobin and total blood volume corrected for Japanese. A small difference in intraoperative blood loss was seen between unilateral TKA without tourniquet (308 ml) and bilateral TKA without tourniquet (411 ml). Total blood loss was 879 ml in unilateral TKA with tourniquet, 1165 ml in unilateral TKA without tourniquet, 1458 ml in bilateral TKA with tourniquet and 1823 ml in bilateral TKA without tourniquet. Uni- and bilateral TKAs without a tourniquet were thus associated with an increased blood loss. Performing TKA without a tourniquet should thus be reconsidered to avoid venous thromboembolism

The Effect of Viscosity of Oral Moisturizers and Residual Ridge Form on the Retention Force of Maxillary Complete Dentures

Aim: To study the effects of viscosity of oral moisturizers and residual ridge form on theretention force of maxillary complete dentures.Methods: Thirty-five maxillary edentulous participants were recruited. Three types of oralmoisturizers with different viscosities, artificial saliva, and denture adhesive were used. Thesewere applied between the intaglio surface of the denture and basal seat mucosa. The centralincisor was loaded 45° upward to the occlusal plane. The force needed to dislodge the denturewas measured using a digital force gauge. Dental impressions of the polished surfaces andintaglio surfaces of the maxillary complete dentures were obtained. Then, duplicate dentureswere cast using auto polymerizing acrylic resin. The buccolingual molar residual ridge form wasassessed using the dental impressions. The duplicate denture was used to measure the positionalrelationship of the central incisor edge, anterior residual ridge crest, and posterior border ofdentures. The effect of residual ridge form on retention force was analyzed.Results: The gel-type oral moisturizer showed significantly greater retention than theother types (P < .05). The retention force and buccolingual molar residual ridge form were notcorrelated. As the ratio of the distance from the central incisor to the anterior residual ridgecrest and the distance from the anterior residual ridge crest to the posterior denture borderincreased, retention force decreased (r = -0.352; P < .01).Conclusion: The results indicate that the retention force of dentures is affected by oralmoisturizer viscosity and the relative position of the anterior residual ridge crest

Evaluation of Quality of Life in Japanese Normal Pregnant Women

To evaluate QOL changes during pregnancy in developed country, we analyzed 159 pregnant Japanese women (67 nulliparous and 92 multiparous) who had no complications during pregnancy. Subjects were asked to complete the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-36) every 4 weeks up to 24 weeks of gestation, and every 2 weeks from 24 weeks of gestation until delivery. Subscales that reflect "Physical functioning (p?0.001)", "Role-physical (p?0.001)" and "Bodily pain (p?0.001)" showed significant declines throughout the entire pregnancy. On the other hand, subscales that reflect "Vitality," "General health" and "Mental health" did not change substantially with gestational age. Furthermore, subscales that reflect "Physical functioning," "Role physical," "General health" showed no significant differences between nulliparous and multiparous women. Although subscales that reflect "Bodily pain," "Vitality," "Social functioning," "Role emotional" and "Mental health" showed significant differences between nulliparous and multiparous women, these subscales showed significant interactions. Our results suggest that pregnant women need support, regardless of the number of deliveries. Appropriate supports to pregnant women will be available to improve the birth rate in developed countries

Association between white blood cell count and diabetes in relation to triglycerides-to-HDL cholesterol ratio in a Japanese population: The Nagasaki Islands study

Although our previous study found that diabetes combined with a high serum triglycerides to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (TG-HDL) ratio constitutes a risk for atherosclerosis and chronic kidney disease (CKD), the association, in terms of TG-HDL ratio, between diabetes and white blood cell (WBC) count, which is an independent risk factor for atherosclerosis, has not been clarified. To investigate this association, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 3,998 Japanese subjects aged 30-89 years undergoing a general health check. We investigated the associations between WBC count and diabetes for all subjects, who were divided into tertiles according to TG-HDL level. Independent of classical cardiovascular risk factors, WBC count of both men and women was positively associated with diabetes combined with high but not with low TG-HDL. The multivariable odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (95%CIs) of 1SD (standard deviation) increment in WBC count (1,538/μL for men, 1,382/μL for women) for high TG-HDL diabetes and low TG-HDL diabetes were 1.39 (95%CI: 1.04-1.85) and 0.88 (95%CI: 0.66-1.19) for men, and 1.83 (95%CI: 1.45-2.33) and 0.91 (95%CI: 0.64-1.29) for women, respectively. In conclusion, for both men and women, WBC count is associated with high TG-HDL diabetes but not with low TG-HDL diabetes. These findings suggest that measuring WBC count is clinically relevant for estimating the risk of atherosclerosis and CKD in patients with diabetes categorized according to TG-HDL ratio

Association between Alkaline Phosphatase and Anemia in Rural Japanese Men: The Nagasaki Islands study

Although bone metabolism is reportedly associated with production and maturation of blood corpuscles, and serum alkaline phosphatase (ALP) levels have been associated with bone metabolism, no published study has investigated the association between ALP and anemia. Furthermore, although ALP is known as an enzyme affected by alcohol consumption, there are no reports in the literature on associations between ALP and the risk of anemia in relation to drinking status. We conducted a cross-sectional study of 907 men aged 30-89 years undergoing a general health check-up to investigate the associations between ALP and anemia in relation to drinking status. Of the 907 participants, 120 men were diagnosed with anemia. The association between ALP and anemia was J-shaped. With the second quartile of ALP (194-228 IU/L) (Q2) as the reference group, the multivariable adjusted OR and 95%CI for anemia were 1.91 (95%CI: 0.96-3.82) for 277 IU/L (Q4). When the analysis was limited to non-drinkers, the associations became stronger with corresponding values of 3.34 (95%CI: 1.28-8.74), 3.18 (95%CI: 1.28-7.88) and 3.22 (95%CI:1.37-7.59). Not only lower but also higher levels of serum ALP are associated with anemia for men, especially non-drinkers. For analyses of associations between ALP and anemia, alcohol consumption should thus be considered a potential confounder

Body mass index and triglyceride-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio in relation to risk of diabetes: The Nagasaki Islands study

Body mass index (BMI) is well known as an independent risk factor for insulin resistance. In addition, lower BMI and lower insulin levels are recognized as specific characteristics of Asian diabetes patients. Since the triglyceride-to-HDL-cholesterol ratio (TG-HDL) is positively associated with insulin level, but inversely associated with insulin sensitivity, we supposed that diabetes combined with high but not with low TG-HDL might be positively associated with BMI. We therefore conducted a cross-sectional study of 2,431 Japanese subjects (905 men and 1,526 women) aged 30-79 years, who underwent a general health check, to investigate associations between BMI, diabetes and its subtypes that we defined on the basis of TG-HDL levels, which in turn were categorized according to sex-specific tertiles. Among the 172 diabetic patients identified in the study group, 45 showed low TG-HDL and 82 high TG-HDL. We found a significant inverse association between low-TG-HDL diabetes and BMI, and a significant positive association between high-TG-HDL diabetes and BMI. The multivariable-adjusted odds ratio and 95%CI for a 1SD increment in BMI (3.03 kg/m2 for men and 3.44 kg/m2 for women) for low-TG-HDL diabetes was 0.53 (95%CI: 0.36-0.77) and 1.57 (95%CI: 1.24-2.01) for high-TG-HDL diabetes. These findings demonstrated that for Japanese subjects associations between diabetes and BMI are strongly influenced by the TG-HDL status. Since a previous study of ours found that diabetes combined with high TG-HDL ratios constitutes a risk for atherosclerosis, these findings may serve as an effective tool for estimating risk of atherosclerosis for diabetes patients

Leptin to high-molecular-weight adiponectin ratio is independently correlated with carotid intima-media thickness in men, but not in women.

BACKGROUND: The leptin:adiponectin ratio (L:A ratio) is an independent predictor of carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether the leptin:high-molecular-weight adiponectin ratio (L:HA ratio) is associated with CIMT in the general population. METHODS: We investigated the relationship between the L:HA ratio and CIMT in 233 Japanese study participants (106 men and 127 women). RESULTS: After adjustment for confounding factors, CIMT was significantly correlated with the log L:HA ratio (beta = 0.11, p = 0.014) in men, whereas no correlation was observed in women (beta = 0.01, p = 0.50). Conclusion: The L:HA ratio is closely correlated with CIMT in men, but not in women