Evaluation of the Effect of Culling on Browse Damage by the Japanese Serow in Gifu Prefecture, Japan

The Japanese serow (Capricornis crispus; serow) is a protected territorial ungulate native to Japan. However, locally overabundant serow populations can damage forest plantations and agriculture through browsing. Despite government permitted annual culling of serows on forest lands of Gifu Prefecture, Japan, browse damage continues to be reported in hinoki cypress (Chamaecyparis obtusa; cypress) plantations. Sika deer (Cervus nippon; deer), which are co-located with serows can also browse cypress, but their impacts have never been evaluated. The objective of our research was to evaluate the involvement of each species in browse damage and to establish the damage-causing mechanisms after serow culling at selected study sites (T1 [0.3 ha], T2 [0.2 ha], and T3 [1.1 ha]) in 3 cypress plantations in Takayama City, Gifu Prefecture, where serow culling was conducted. In 2019 and 2020, 2 and 2 serows were culled in T1, 3 and 0 in T2, and 1 and 1 in T3, respectively. Forestry workers also applied a chemical repellent (ziram-based fungicide) to some stands in T3 in October 2019 and May 2020. Between December 2018 and September 2020, we used camera traps to monitor activity patterns of serows and deer and the replacement of territorial serows before and after culling. We also investigated seasonal browsing impacts between August 2019 and June 2020 by thoroughly checking for browsing marks on the terminal shoot. Serows and deer accounted for 79% and 21% of camera-trap videos, respectively. Despite annual culling, serows were recorded at all browsed sites before the next growing season. Browse damage was higher in autumn and winter, but in T3 it was reduced when the repellent was applied. Management of ungulate browse damage to cypress will require accurate identification of species causing the damage, monitoring serow activity before and after culling, and a using repellent immediately before browsing seasons

A novel nonsense mutation in a Japanese family with ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2)

We report a 67-year-old Japanese woman with ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 2 (AOA2). She was born to consanguineous parents and showed a teenage onset, a slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia and sensory-motor neuropathy and an elevated level of serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). All of these clinical features were consistent with typical AOA2. She lacked oculomotor apraxia, as frequently observed in previously reported AOA2 patients. She was homozygous for a novel nonsense mutation, Glu385Ter (E385X), in the senataxin gene (SETX). To our knowledge, this is the fifth Japanese family with genetically confirmed AOA2. The mutations in SETX in Japanese AOA2 families are heterogeneous, except for M274I, which has been found in two unrelated families. More extensive screening by serum AFP followed by molecular genetic analysis of SETX in patients with Friedreich's ataxia-like phenotype may show that AOA2 is more common in Japan than previously thought. Journal of Human Genetics (2009) 54, 746-748; doi: 10.1038/jhg.2009.104; published online 6 November 2009ArticleJOURNAL OF HUMAN GENETICS. 54(12):746-748 (2009)journal articl

Effectiveness of active occupational therapy in patients with acute stroke: A propensity score-weighted retrospective study

Background and purposeThe effects of therapy and patient characteristics on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with acute stroke are unclear. We investigated the effects of intensive occupational therapy (OT) on patients with acute stroke.MethodsWe performed a retrospective cohort study using the 2005–2016 Japan Rehabilitation Database, from which we identified patients with stroke (n = 10,270) who were admitted to acute care hospitals (n = 37). We defined active OT (AOT) and non-AOT as OT intervention times (total intervention time/length of hospital stay) longer or shorter than the daily physical therapy intervention time, respectively. The outcomes assessed were the Functional Independence Measure (FIM) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, duration of hospitalization, and rate of discharge. Propensity scores and inverse probability of treatment weighting analyses adjusted for patient characteristics were performed to investigate the effects of AOT on patient outcomes.ResultsWe enrolled 3,501 patients (1,938 and 1,563 patients in the AOT and non-AOT groups, respectively) in the study. After inverse probability of treatment weighting, the AOT group had a shorter length of hospitalization (95% confidence interval: −3.7, −1.3, p < 0.001), and the FIM (95% confidence interval: 2.0, 5.7, p < 0.001) and NIHSS (95% confidence interval; 0.3, 1.1, p < 0.001) scores improved significantly. Subgroup analysis showed that lower NHISS scores for aphasia, gaze, and neglect and lower overall NIHSS and FIM scores on admission led to a greater increase in FIM scores in the AOT group.ConclusionsAOT improved the limitations in performing activities of daily living (ADL) and physical function in patients with acute stroke and reduced the length of hospitalization. Additionally, subgroup analysis suggested that the increase in FIM score was greater in patients with severe limitations in performing ADLs and worse cognitive impairment, such as neglect, on admission

Clinical characteristics and outcomes of persistent bacteremia in patients with head and neck cancer in a tertiary care hospital

IntroductionCompared to other cancers, research on bloodstream infection in head and neck cancer is scarce, lacking comparative studies on persistent versus transient bacteremia outcomes.MethodsThis retrospective survey examined patients with head and neck cancer undergoing blood culture at our center from June 2009 to May 2023. Blood culture-positive cases suspected of infection were divided into persistent bacteremia and transient bacteremia groups. We investigated their clinical, epidemiological, and microbiological features, including risk factors for persistent bacteremia and mortality. The primary outcome was 90-day mortality.ResultsIn this 97-patient cohort, 14 (14%) cases were assigned to the persistent bacteremia group. Catheter-related bloodstream infections were the leading cause of infection in both groups, consistently contributing to a high proportion of overall bloodstream infections. The mortality rate was generally higher in the persistent bacteremia group than in the transient bacteremia group (odds ratio [OR], 2.6; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.6–11.1), particularly in the non-clearance subgroup (OR, 9; 95% CI, 0.5–155.2). Pyogenic spondylitis was a key risk factor for persistent bacteremia, while hypoalbuminemia increased mortality.ConclusionIn patients with bacteremia and head and neck cancer, persistent bacteremia was associated with higher mortality than was transient bacteremia. Adittionally, bacteremia clearance in persistent bacteremia is thus crucial for prognostic improvement

Genotype prevalence and age distribution of human papillomavirus from infection to cervical cancer in Japanese women: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: National HPV vaccination coverage in Japan is less than one percent of the eligible population and cervical cancer incidence and mortality are increasing. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to provide a comprehensive estimate of HPV genotype prevalence for Japan. Methods: English and Japanese databases were searched to March 2021 for research reporting HPV genotypes in cytology and histology samples from Japanese women. Summary estimates were calculated by disease stage from cytology only assessment – Normal, ASCUS, LSIL, HSIL and from histological assessment – CIN1, CIN2, CIN3/AIS, ICC (ICC-SCC, and ICC-ADC), and other. A random-effects meta–analysis was used to calculate summary prevalence estimates of any-HPV, high-risk (HR) and low-risk (LR) vaccine types, and vaccine genotypes (bivalent, quadrivalent, or nonavalent). This study was registered with PROSPERO: CRD42018117596. Results: A total of 57759 women with normal cytology, 1766 ASCUS, 3764 LSIL, 2017 HSIL, 3130 CIN1, 1219 CIN2, 869 CIN3/AIS, and 4306 ICC (which included 1032 ICC-SCC, and 638 ICC-ADC) were tested for HPV. The summary estimate of any-HPV genotype in women with normal cytology was 15·6% (95% CI: 12·3–19·4) and in invasive cervical cancer (ICC) was 85·6% (80·7–89·8). The prevalence of HR-HPV was 86·0% (95% CI: 73·9–94·9) for cytological cases of HSIL, 76·9% (52·1–94·7) for histological cases of CIN3/AIS, and 75·7% (68·0–82·6) for ICC. In women with ICC, the summary prevalence of bivalent vaccine genotypes was 58·5% (95% CI: 52·1–64·9), for quadrivalent genotypes was 58·6% (52·2–64·9) and for nonavalent genotypes was 71·5% (64·9–77·6), and of ICC cases that were HPV positive over 90% of infections are nonavalent vaccine preventable. There was considerable heterogeneity in all HPV summary estimates and for ICC, this heterogeneity was not explained by variability in study design, sample type, HPV assay type, or HPV DNA detection method, although studies published in the 1990s had lower prevalence estimates of any-HPV and HR HPV genotypes. Interpretations: HPV prevalence is high among Japanese women. The nonavalent vaccine is likely to have the greatest impact on reducing cervical cancer incidence and mortality in Japan

Isolated gestational proteinuria preceding the diagnosis of preeclampsia : an observational study

Introduction. Some pregnant women develop significant proteinuria in the absence of hypertension. However, clinical significance of isolated gestational proteinuria (IGP) is not well understood. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of IGP in singleton pregnancies and the proportion of women with IGP who subsequently developed preeclampsia (IGP-PE) among all PE cases. Material and methods. This was an observational study of 6819 women with singleton pregnancies at 12 centers, including 938 women with at least once determination of protein-to-creatinine ratio (P/Cr). Significant proteinuria in pregnancy (SPIP) was defined as P/Cr (mg/mg) level >0.27. IGP was defined as SPIP in the absence of hypertension. Gestational hypertension (GH) preceding preeclampsia (GH-PE) was defined as preeclampsia (PE) in which GH preceded SPIP. Simultaneous PE (S-PE) was defined as PE in which both SPIP and hypertension occurred simultaneously. Results. IGP and PE were diagnosed in 130 (1.9%) and 158 (2.3%) of 6819 women, respectively. Of 130 women with IGP, 32 (25%) progressed to PE and accounted for 20% of all women with PE. Hence, women with IGP had a relative risk of 13.1 (95% CI; 9.2-18.5) for developing PE compared with those without IGP [25% (32/130) vs. 1.9% (126/6689)]. At diagnosis of SPIP, P/Cr levels already exceeded 1.0 more often in women with S-PE than in those with IGP-PE [67% (33/49) vs. 44% (14/32), respectively, p = 0.031]. Conclusions. IGP is a risk factor for PE, and IGP-PE accounts for a considerable proportion (20%) of all PE

Insights into Land Plant Evolution Garnered from the Marchantia polymorpha Genome.

The evolution of land flora transformed the terrestrial environment. Land plants evolved from an ancestral charophycean alga from which they inherited developmental, biochemical, and cell biological attributes. Additional biochemical and physiological adaptations to land, and a life cycle with an alternation between multicellular haploid and diploid generations that facilitated efficient dispersal of desiccation tolerant spores, evolved in the ancestral land plant. We analyzed the genome of the liverwort Marchantia polymorpha, a member of a basal land plant lineage. Relative to charophycean algae, land plant genomes are characterized by genes encoding novel biochemical pathways, new phytohormone signaling pathways (notably auxin), expanded repertoires of signaling pathways, and increased diversity in some transcription factor families. Compared with other sequenced land plants, M. polymorpha exhibits low genetic redundancy in most regulatory pathways, with this portion of its genome resembling that predicted for the ancestral land plant. PAPERCLIP

コウジョウセン クリーゼ 20レイ ノ チリョウ ト ヨゴ : コウジョウセン クリーゼ シンダン キジュン オ モチイタ ケントウ

日本甲状腺学会から甲状腺クリーゼの診断基準が2008 年に発表された.2004 年4 月から2009 年3月に当院で臨床的に甲状腺クリーゼと診断,治療した20 症例を,その診断基準にあてはめ,治療と予後等について解析した.基礎疾患は全例バセドウ病だった.誘因として服用不規則や中断が9 例,感染症6 例,糖尿病性ケトアシドーシス3 例,情動ストレス2 例,脳血管障害1 例,外傷1 例だった.診断基準で確定診断例が15例,疑い例が1 例,除外症例が4 例だった.症状では中枢神経症状が疑い・確定診断例では11 例,脈拍130/分以上は12 例認められたが,除外例では認められなかった.治療としてはチアマゾールが全症例に使用されていた.ヨードは13 例,b ブロッカーは17 例,ステロイドは12 例の症例で使用されており全例救命できた.服用不規則や中断,感染症が誘引となりやすく,症状では中枢神経症状・脈拍が特にクリーゼの診断には重要と考えられた.後遺症を残す重症例は6 例で全て新診断基準によって確定診断された症例であり,新診断基準は予後への有用性も期待できると考えられた.The Japan Thyroid Association established diagnosticcriteria for thyroid crisis in 2008. Using these criteria, weanalyzed 20 cases clinically diagnosed as thyroid crisis andtreated in our hospital from April 2004 to March 2009. Allpatients had Basedow\u27s disease at the basal disease. Thecauses were irregular compliance or interruption of treatment(9 cases), infection (6 cases), diabetic ketoacidosis (3cases), emotional stress( 2 cases), stroke( 1 case), and trauma(1 case). Fifteen cases were confirmed as thyroid crisis,1 case was suspected as thyroid crisis, and 4 cases were rejectedas thyroid crisis according to the diagnostic criteria.Central nervous symptoms were observed in 11 cases, andtachycardia (over 130 beats/min) in 12 cases in the definitiveand suspicious cases, although there were no centralnervous symptoms or tachycardia in the excluded cases.Thiamazole was administered to all patients. In addition, iodine(13 cases), b -blocker (17 cases), and corticosteroids(12 cases) were administered. All patients were recovered.Irregular internal use, stopping treatment, and infectionwere likely to induce thyroid crisis. In paticular, centralnervous symptoms and tachycardia were important factorsfor diagnosis. As 6 serious cases with aftereffect were diagnosedas definitive cases of thyroid crisis according to thenew criteria, these new criteria may be useful to predictthe prognosis

Doping effect on magnetic properties of high-temperature multiferroic compound YBaCuFeO5

We have investigated the impurity effects on magnetic properties for the oxygen-deficiency ordered perovskite YBaCuFeO5, which has multiferroic phenomenon at TN2 = 319 K. The measurements of the magnetic susceptibility χ have been carried out for the polycrystalline samples of YBaCu1-xMxFeO5 (M = Ni, Mn, and Zn), where the Cu2+ spins (S = 1/2) are partially substituted by the nonmagnetic and magnetic ions. From anomalies of the temperature dependence of χ, the doping concentration dependences of the magnetic transition temperatures such as TN1 and TN2, were determined. With increasing the doping concentration for YBaCu1-xMxFeO5 (M = Ni, Mn, and Zn), the value of TN1 decreases, and that of TN2 increases, and two magnetic transitions become one at x = xc. In the doping region of x > xc, the magnetic behaviors of the magnetic ions doped systems are different from that of the nonmagnetic one. In particular, we found that two magnetic transitions newly appear for the Ni- and Mn-doped systems in the region of x > xc. Based on the obtained results, we discussed the physics of impurity effects on the magnetic transitions for the high-temperature multiferroic compound YBaCuFeO5