A Case of Acute Eosinophilic Pneumonia Associated with Heated Rubber Fume Exposure

ABSTRACTBackgroundWe report a rare case of acute eosinophilic pneumonia (AEP) associated with heated rubber fume exposure.MethodsA 31-year-old Ethiopian man, working at a rubber plant, was admitted to our hospital because of refractory dyspnea and fever. Computed tomography of the chest showed bilateral interstitial shadows and pleural effusion. We suspected AEP and performed fiberoptic bronchoscopy.ResultsThe eosinophil fraction was elevated at 59% in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF). From the history of inhalation of heated rubber at the working place and hypereosinophilic counts in the BALF, he was given a diagnosis of AEP associated with heated rubber fume exposure. His symptoms and chest radiographic findings were drastically improved by corticosteroid therapy.ConclusionsHeated rubber fume can be a causative substance for AEP. In similar situations, physicians should consider AEP and order various examinations for confirmation

Der Neoetatismus im heutigen Japan

1985 waren vierzig Jahre seit der Niederlage Deutschlands und Japans im zweiten Weltkrieg vergangen. Bundespräsident Weizsäcker ging in seiner damaligen, am 8. Mai vor dem Bundestag gehaltenen Rede auf die großen Opfer des Krieges und der Naziverbrechen ein und gab mit Blick auf die jüngste Geschichte der Entschlossenheit Ausdruck, die begangenen Fehler nicht zu wiederholen. Demgegenüber verwies der japanische Ministerpräsident Nakasone Yasuhiro in seiner Rede vom Juli 1985 auf dem traditionellen Sommerseminar der Liberal-Demokratischen Partei Japans (LDP) stolz auf die japanische Geschichte, dieseit der Meiji-Ära (1868-1911) »den Westen einholen« will. Ohne auf die Aggressionskriege der Vergangenheit hinzuweisen, stellte er die japanische Konzeption des »Neoetatismus« vor: »Im Falle Japans ist der Staat als natürliche Gemeinschaft entstanden und nicht als Vertragsstaat. Sieger, aber auch Verlierer ist immer der Staat. Ehre und Schmach ruhen beide auf der Nation insgesamt. Es sind der Staat, die Nation, die, ihre Schmach beseitigend, auf der Suche nach Ehre voranschreiten.« Dieses »die Schmach beseitigen« bedeutet nichts anderes als die eigene schmachvolle Geschichte zu vergessen

Traumatic reactions in train disasters

Objective : The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between peritraumatic reactions, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms, and pain in people injured in train disasters. Methods : The participants were injured in a train crash in Japan that left more than 100 dead. There were 218 participants in the analysis, with a mean age of 37.50 ± 14.67 years. Peritraumatic reactions were assessed using the Peritraumatic Distress Inventory. PTSD symptoms were evaluated using the Impact of Event Scale-Revised Japanese-language version. Pain was measured using the Visual Analog Scale. Results : Peritraumatic reactions did not directly affect PTSD symptoms but were found to be associated via latent variables. Regarding pain and PTSD symptoms, intrusive memories were more associated with pain than other symptoms were. There was an associative path from intrusion to pain, but no such path from pain to intrusion. Conclusions : Our results suggest that a therapeutic approach to intrusion may be effective in ameliorating the pain caused by injury. Future research should examine integrated treatment approaches for both PTSD and pain, rather than just for aspects of PTSD

Benzalkonium Chloride Accelerates the Formation of the Amyloid Fibrils of Corneal Dystrophy-associated Peptides

This research was originally published in the Journal of Biological Chemistry. Yusuke Kato, Hisashi Yagi, Yuichi Kaji, Tetsuro Oshika and Yuji Goto. Benzalkonium Chloride Accelerates the Formation of the Amyloid Fibrils of Corneal Dystrophy-associated Peptides. J. Biol. Chem. 2013; 288, 25109-25118. © the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biolog

キョウドウ ガクシュウ ノ シュタイ ニオケル セイトウテキ シュウヘン サンカ : ジッセン コミュニティ トシテノ SA セイド

淑徳大学人文学部では、2022度より１年生の基礎情報科目においてスチューデント・アシスタント（SA）制度を採用することとなった。本稿はこの制度に参加した学生を対象とし、彼らがどのようにその業務を把握し、習得していったのかを問いとしている。具体的には、レイヴ＆ウェンガーの正統的周辺参加論を理論枠組みとして、その状況を、学期末に実施したSAへのインタビューをもとに、モノグラフとして再構成する形で記述した。結論としては、SAによる教え方の工夫においては個々でさまざまな模索が認められ、また約３カ月という短い期間でも、SAとしてのアイデンティティが醸成されることも認められた。そこから、SAは単なる「学内アルバイト」ではなく、その技能習得過程は、他のあらゆる場でも応用可能であると結論づけた

Knowledge and Demand for Information about Islet Transplantation in Patients with Type 1 Diabetes

This cross-sectional study based on self-administrated questionnaire was conducted to investigate knowledge, related factors, and sources of information regarding islet transplantation in patients with type 1 diabetes in Japan. Among 137 patients who provided valid responses, 67 (48.9%) knew about islet transplantation. Their main source of information was newspapers or magazines (56.7%) and television or radio (46.3%). However, 85.8% of patients preferred the attending physician as their source of information. Although more than half of the patients were correctly aware of issues related to islet transplantation, the following specific issues for islet transplantation were not understood or considered, and there was little knowledge of them: need for immunosuppressants, lifestyle and dietary adaptations, fewer bodily burdens, and complications. The experience of hypoglycaemia, a high level of academic background, frequent self-monitoring of blood glucose, and the use of continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion were related to higher knowledge about islet transplantation

Thin-film and single-crystal transistors based on a trifluoromethyl-substituted alternating (thiophene/phenylene)-co-oligomer

We demonstrated the performance of thin-film transistors (TFTs) and single-crystal field-effect transistors (FETs) based on a trifluoromethyl-substituted alternating (thiophene/phenylene)-co-oligomer (AC5-CF3), 1,4-bis(5'-(4 ''-trifluoromethylphenyl)thiophene-2'-yl) benzene. An FET with a fine AC5-CF3 single-crystal demonstrated field-effect mobility as high as 3.1 cm(2) V-1 s(-1). This value implies that AC5-CF3 must be a useful n-type organic semiconducting material. The performance of AC5-CF3 TFTs depended on the substrate temperatures at which AC5-CF3 thin films were deposited. From the viewpoint of mobility, threshold voltage and sub-threshold slope, we obtained the highest performance at the substrate temperature of 100 degrees C. This was because a higher substrate temperature for deposition enlarged the size of grains in AC-CF3 thin films and improved the characteristics of grain boundaries. However, 120 degrees C depositions of AC5-CF3 induced deep valley-like cracks in the thin films, probably because of the difference between the coefficients of thermal expansion for AC5-CF3 thin films and silicon wafer substrates, resulting in effects such as worsening mobility. AC5-CF3 TFTs prepared at 100 degrees C deposition showed no channel length dependence of the field-effect mobility, and their average field-effect mobility was 0.55 +/- 0.05 cm(2) V-1 s(-1).ArticleOrganic Electronics. 11(9):1549-1554 (2010)journal articl

Preoperative Graft Volume Assessment with 3D-CT Volumetry in Living-Donor Lobar Lung Transplantations

To determine the effectiveness of living-donor lobar lung transplantation (LDLLT), it is necessary to predict the recipient's postoperative lung function. Traditionally, Date's formula, also called the segmental ratio, has used the number of lung segments to estimate the forced vital capacity (FVC) of grafts in LDLLT. To provide a more precise estimate of graft FVC, we calculated the volumes of the lower lobe and total lung using three-dimensional computed tomography (3D-CT) and the volume ratio between them. We calculated the volume ratio in 52 donors and tested the difference between the segmental volume ratios with a one-tailed t-test. We also calculated the predicted graft FVC in 21 LDLLTs using the segmental ratio pFVC(c) and the volume ratio pFVC(v), and then found the Pearson's correlation coefficients for both pFVC(c) and pFVC(v) with the recipients' actual FVC (rFVC) measured spirometrically 6 months after surgery. Significant differences were found between the segmental ratio and the average volume ratio for both sides (right, p＝0.03;left, p＝0.0003). Both pFVC(c) and pFVC(v) correlated significantly with rFVC at 6 months after surgery (p＝0.007 and 0.006). Both the conventional and the volumetric methods provided FVC predictions that correlated significantly with measured postoperative FVC

Tissue-specific splicing regulator Fox-1 induces exon skipping by interfering E complex formation on the downstream intron of human F1γ gene

Fox-1 is a regulator of tissue-specific splicing, via binding to the element (U)GCAUG in mRNA precursors, in muscles and neuronal cells. Fox-1 can regulate splicing positively or negatively, most likely depending on where it binds relative to the regulated exon. In cases where the (U)GCAUG element lies in an intron upstream of the alternative exon, Fox-1 protein functions as a splicing repressor to induce exon skipping. Here we report the mechanism of exon skipping regulated by Fox-1, using the hF1γ gene as a model system. We found that Fox-1 induces exon 9 skipping by repressing splicing of the downstream intron 9 via binding to the GCAUG repressor elements located in the upstream intron 8. In vitro splicing analyses showed that Fox-1 prevents formation of the pre-spliceosomal early (E) complex on intron 9. In addition, we located a region of the Fox-1 protein that is required for inducing exon skipping. Taken together, our data show a novel mechanism of how RNA-binding proteins regulate alternative splicing

Associations of HIV testing and late diagnosis at a Japanese university hospital

OBJECTIVES: This study was conducted to clarify the rate of late diagnosis of HIV infection and to identify relationships between the reasons for HIV testing and a late diagnosis. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study was conducted among HIV-positive patients at the Jikei University Hospital between 2001 and 2014. Patient characteristics from medical records, including age, sex, sexuality, the reason for HIV testing and the number of CD4-positive lymphocytes at HIV diagnosis, were assessed. RESULTS: A total of 459 patients (men, n=437; 95.2%) were included in this study and the median age at HIV diagnosis was 36 years (range, 18-71 years). Late (CD4 cell coun