Mass Spectrometry Study of Reactive Species in a Microhollow Cathode Discharge in He+H2O Mixtures

Reactive species created by a microhollow cathode discharge (MHCD) in He+H2O mixtures were investigated at 160 Torr using the molecular beam mass spectrometry. Ion currents of He+, HeH+, O+, OH+, H+(H2O), and H+(H2O)2 were measured as functions of H2O relative concentration (0.24 - 14%) and discharge current (5 - 15 mA). When the concentration exceeds 6%, most of the ions were decreased, but H+(H2O)2 (cluster ion) significantly increased at discharge current of 5 mA, whose ion current was very low compared with those of other ions. With increasing the discharge current, the cluster ion showed a sharp decrease, while the other ions were almost constant. These features were reasonably explained by the increase of the gas temperature and the plasma rarefaction due to the Joule heating of the working gas

Experiences of Negotiations for Improving Research Environment and Burnout among Young Physician Researchers in Japan

Physician scientists in Japan are often too busy to be sufficiently involved in research work. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate their experiences negotiating with their superiors to improve their research environment and determine its relationship with psychological burnout. Among 1790 physician awardees of Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists in 2014-2015, 490 responded (response rate 27.4%) and 408 were eligible for analysis. Outcome measures included two negotiation experiences: for reduction of clinical duty hours/promotion opportunities and for increased space or equipment/increased research budget. The main explanatory variables were personal, patient-related, and work-related burnout measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. The percentages of the above-mentioned two types of negotiations were 20-24% in women and 17-20% in men. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analyses demonstrated that (1) the negotiation for reduction of clinical duty hours/promotion opportunities was significantly associated with physician scientists who had a short amount of weekly research time and high patient-related burnout score, and (2) the negotiation for increased space or equipment/increased research budget was significantly associated with older age, single status, and high personal and patient-related burnout scores. High burnout is related to negotiation experiences among physician researchers in Japan

Orange Juice and Its Component, Hesperidin, Decrease the Expression of Multidrug Resistance-Associated Protein 2 in Rat Small Intestine and Liver

We investigated the effects of orange juice (OJ) or hesperidin, a component of OJ, on the pharmacokinetics of pravastatin (PRV) and the expression of both protein and mRNA of multidrug resistance-associated protein 2 (Mrp2) in the rat small intestine and liver. Eight-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in this study. OJ or a 0.079% hesperidin suspension was administered orally for 2 days. Tap water was given as a control. A single dose of PRV at 100 mg/kg p.o. was administered after 2 days of OJ, hesperidin, or tap water ingestion. The AUC, Cmax, and t1/2 values of PRV were significantly increased in OJ group. Mrp2 protein and mRNA levels in the small intestine and liver, respectively, were significantly decreased after the ingestion of OJ. The same results were obtained with hesperidin. These results suggest that the changes in PRV pharmacokinetic parameters and the decrease in Mrp2 expression caused by OJ are due to hesperidin in the juice

Effects of gaps in priorities between ideal and real lives on psychological burnout among academic faculty members at a medical university in Japan: a cross-sectional study

Background: Accumulating evidence from medical workforce research indicates that poor work/life balance and increased work/home conflict induce psychological distress. In this study we aim to examine the existence of a priority gap between ideal and real lives, and its association with psychological burnout among academic professionals. Methods: This cross-sectional survey, conducted in 2014, included faculty members (228 men, 102 women) at a single medical university in Tokyo, Japan. The outcome of interest was psychological burnout, measured with a validated inventory. Discordance between ideal-and real-life priorities, based on participants' responses (work, family, individual life, combinations thereof), was defined as a priority gap. Results: The majority (64%) of participants chose "work" as the greatest priority in real life, but only 28% chose "work" as the greatest priority in their conception of an ideal life. Priority gaps were identified in 59.5% of respondents. A stepwise multivariable general linear model demonstrated that burnout scores were associated positively with respondents' current position (P < 0.0018) and the presence of a priority gap (P < 0.0001), and negatively with the presence of social support (P < 0.0001). Among participants reporting priority gaps, burnout scores were significantly lower in those with children than in those with no children (P-interaction = 0.011); no such trend was observed in participants with no priority gap. Conclusions: A gap in priorities between an ideal and real life was associated with an increased risk of burnout, and the presence of children, which is a type of "family" social support, had a mitigating effect on burnout among those reporting priority gaps

Novel quantitative immunohistochemical analysis for evaluating PD-L1 expression with phosphor-integrated dots for predicting the efficacy of patients with cancer treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

IntroductionProgrammed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in tumor tissues is measured as a predictor of the therapeutic efficacy of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in many cancer types. PD-L1 expression is evaluated by immunohistochemical staining using 3,3´-diaminobenzidine (DAB) chronogenesis (IHC-DAB); however, quantitative and reproducibility issues remain. We focused on a highly sensitive quantitative immunohistochemical method using phosphor-integrated dots (PIDs), which are fluorescent nanoparticles, and evaluated PD-L1 expression between the PID method and conventional DAB method.MethodsIn total, 155 patients with metastatic or recurrent cancer treated with ICIs were enrolled from four university hospitals. Tumor tissue specimens collected before treatment were subjected to immunohistochemical staining with both the PID and conventional DAB methods to evaluate PD-L1 protein expression.ResultsPD-L1 expression assessed using the PID and DAB methods was positively correlated. We quantified PD-L1 expression using the PID method and calculated PD-L1 PID scores. The PID score was significantly higher in the responder group than in the non-responder group. Survival analysis demonstrated that PD-L1 expression evaluated using the IHC-DAB method was not associated with progression-free survival (PFS) or overall survival (OS). Yet, PFS and OS were strikingly prolonged in the high PD-L1 PID score group.ConclusionQuantification of PD-L1 expression as a PID score was more effective in predicting the treatment efficacy and prognosis of patients with cancer treated with ICIs. The quantitative evaluation of PD-L1 expression using the PID method is a novel strategy for protein detection. It is highly significant that the PID method was able to identify a group of patients with a favorable prognosis who could not be identified by the conventional DAB method

Experiences of Negotiations for Improving Research Environment and Burnout among Young Physician Researchers in Japan

Physician scientists in Japan are often too busy to be sufficiently involved in research work. This cross-sectional study aimed to investigate their experiences negotiating with their superiors to improve their research environment and determine its relationship with psychological burnout. Among 1790 physician awardees of Grants-in-Aid for Young Scientists in 2014&ndash;2015, 490 responded (response rate 27.4%) and 408 were eligible for analysis. Outcome measures included two negotiation experiences: for reduction of clinical duty hours/promotion opportunities and for increased space or equipment/increased research budget. The main explanatory variables were personal, patient-related, and work-related burnout measured by the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory. The percentages of the above-mentioned two types of negotiations were 20&ndash;24% in women and 17&ndash;20% in men. Multivariable stepwise logistic regression analyses demonstrated that (1) the negotiation for reduction of clinical duty hours/promotion opportunities was significantly associated with physician scientists who had a short amount of weekly research time and high patient-related burnout score, and (2) the negotiation for increased space or equipment/increased research budget was significantly associated with older age, single status, and high personal and patient-related burnout scores. High burnout is related to negotiation experiences among physician researchers in Japan

A relationship between a level of hemoglobin after delivery and exclusive breastfeeding initiation at a baby friendly hospital in Japan

Abstract Background The recent National Nutrition Survey of 2013 demonstrated that 16.7% of women in childbearing age are underweight, and 5.0–10.0% of these women manifested a Hemoglobin (Hb) level less than 11.0 g/dl. The purpose of this study was to investigate if such maternal nutritional status affects success of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF) practice. Methods This cross-sectional study investigated 1532 dyads of mothers and infants with full-term singleton pregnancies delivered during 2011 at a perinatal center in Tokyo. Outcome is EBF initiation defined as the successful practice at discharge and 1 month after discharge. A logistic regression model was applied to investigate the impact of Hb levels ( 500 ml (P = 0.089 and P = 0.011), maternal age (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001), nulliparity (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.001), pregnancy-induced hypertension (P = 0.002 and P = 0.012), gestational week (P = 0.006 and P = 0.002), Low Birth Weight (LBW) (P < 0.001 and P < 0.001), and immediate separation (P < 0.001 and P = 0.020). After adjusting for the covariates, compared with a Hb level ≥11.0 g/dl, a Hb level <9.0 g/dl was significantly associated with unsuccessful EBF initiation at discharge [odds ratio (OR): 2.15; 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.37–3.39] and at 1 month after discharge (OR: 1.63; 95% CI: 1.10–2.42), and a Hb level of 9.0–10.9 g/dl also was significant at 1 month after discharge (OR: 1.35; 95% CI: 1.04–1.75). Pre-pregnancy underweight was not associated with success of EBF practice both at hospital discharge and 1 month after discharge. Conclusion Maternal severe anemia after delivery was associated with the risk of unsuccessful initiation of EBF even after adjusting for bleeding at delivery, suggesting the importance of dietary management especially in the later trimester