Non-thermal Leptogenesis and a Prediction of Inflaton Mass in a Supersymmetric SO(10) Model

The gravitino problem gives a severe constraint on the thermal leptogenesis scenario. This problem leads us to consider some alternatives to it if we try to keep the gravitino mass around the weak scale $m_{3/2} \sim 100$ GeV. We consider, in this paper, the non-thermal leptogenesis scenario in the framework of a minimal supersymmetric SO(10) model. Even if we start with the same minimal SO(10) model, we have different predictions for low-energy phenomenologies dependent on the types of seesaw mechanism. This is the case for leptogenesis: it is shown that the type-I see-saw model gives a consistent scenario for the non-thermal leptogenesis but not for type-II. The predicted inflaton mass needed to produce the observed baryon asymmetry of the universe is found to be $M_I \sim 5 \times 10^{11}$ GeV for the reheating temperature $T_R = 10^6$ GeV.Comment: 9 pages, 2 figures; the version to appear in JCA

Associations of Glucose and Blood Pressure Variability with Cardiac Diastolic Function in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension: A Retrospective Observational Study

We evaluated the effects of glucose metabolism and blood pressure（BP） variability on cardiac diastolic function in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus（T2DM） and hypertension. A total of 23 inpatients with T2DM underwent ambulatory BP monitoring（ABPM） and echocardiography. BP variability was assessed by measuring the mean BP and the standard deviation（SD） of systolic and diastolic BP over 24 hours, as well as daytime and nighttime ABPM. Cardiac diastolic function was assessed using the echocardiography E/e′ ratio. Participants had a mean age of 69.0±10.6 years, disease duration of 11.0±10.5 years, glycated hemoglobin（HbA1c） of 8.2％±1.3％, and glycated albumin（GA） of 22.0％±4.2％. Univariate analysis showed that the nighttime systolic BP, nighttime SDs of systolic and diastolic BP, urinary albumin, estimated glomerular filtration rate, and GA/HbA1c ratio were all significantly correlated with the E/e′ ratio. Moreover, stepwise multiple regression analysis identified nighttime SD of diastolic BP, urinary albumin, and GA/HbA1c ratio as independent contributors to the E/e′ ratio. In patients with T2DM and hypertension, cardiac diastolic function was associated with nighttime diastolic BP variability and the GA/HbA1c ratio

先天性血友病患者の移行期の実態

【Introduction】Congenital hemophilia is a category of hemorrhagic disease caused by a genetic defect in the production of coagulation factors. It is treated by administering regular coagulation factor injections on an ongoing basis. Hemophilia is a hereditary illness, often causing social and psychological problems as a result of the disease. To analyze the objective effects of hemophilia, we conducted a retrospective analysis in Tokushima University Hospital. 【Result】All ２３ cases were men between the ages of２０and７２. Hemophilia A was present in１７cases, and hemophilia B was present in six. Nineteen out of ２３ cases were severe, and the others were intermediate. Medical assessments were conducted at pediatrics in seven cases and hematology in １６ cases. Adoption of the self-injection technique was not realized in five cases. Seventeen cases were complicated by hemophilic arthropathy, seven with human immunodeficiency virus（HIV）, and １２ with hepatitis C virus. Eight participants were unemployed, and１７were unmarried. 【Discussion】 Many adult hemophilia patients still visit pediatrics in our hospital. Hemophilia in the period of growth between adolescence and young adulthood is often accompanied by life-altering events such as entering higher education, marriage, and work experience. Therefore, collaboration among professionals of multiple occupations, such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, medical social workers, and clinical psychologists, is essential. Furthermore, there are many cases of HIV and hepatitis C virus infections complicating hemophilia study due to the stigma surrounding HIV-tainted blood. 【Conclusion】It is imperative that we establish a long-term, sustainable, and multi-disciplinary transitional care and medical support system for patients and their families

HIV感染症およびAIDS患者の臨床的特徴

【Introduction】The survival rate in patients with HIV infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome （AIDS） has been improved dramatically due to the advances in anti-HIV drug therapy, while aging-associated complications become a critical issue. The incidence of sudden occurrence of AIDS without prior detection of HIV infection, so called “Ikinari AIDS”, still remains high. 【Objective】We retrospectively analyzed the incidence and clinical characteristics of HIV/AIDS patients in both Tokushima University Hospital and Tokushima Prefectural Central Hospital. 【Results】Eighty four patients （74 males and 10 females） with a median age of 39 years old （range 16 - 85） were enrolled. Thirty-four patients （40.5％） were diagnosed with “Ikinari AIDS” from 2001 to 2020. All 4 patients were diagnosed with “Ikinari AIDS” after 2020. AIDS-defining illnesses were diagnosed as follows ; pneumocystis pneumonia in 21 cases, CMV infection in 8 cases and candidiasis in 6 cases. All patients over 60 years old were suffered from AIDS. Other complications included syphilis in 17 cases, hepatitis B infection in 12 and herpes zoster in 7. 【Discussion/Conclusion】In Tokushima, the incidence rate of “Ikinari AIDS” appeared to be higher than that of national average. COVID - 19 pandemic hampered the public health care services of awareness-raising activity for HIV infection and telephone consultations about HIV, which may become more lease asymptomatic HIV patients without diagnosis. For early diagnosis of HIV/AIDS, it is becoming more important to share information to make early screening of HIV infection among medical staffs, such as medical doctors, dentists, nurses, pharmacists and MSWs