Assessment of human stress and depression by DNA microarray analysis

Precise assessment of stress is an imminent issue to deal with stress-related social, medical and psychological problems. Psychological stress is known to stimulate the neuroendocrine, sympathetic nervous, and immune systems. By analyzing mRNA expression levels in leukocytes, which express receptors for hormones, neurotransmitters, growth factors, cytokines, and other stress related signals, levels of stress may be adequately measured. In a series of studies, our group has developed a cDNA microarray specifically designed to measure the mRNA levels of stress-related genes in peripheral blood leukocytes. This microarray enabled us to sensitively detect the response to psychological stress. In addition, our preliminary study suggests that the array could differentiate patients with depression from sex- and age-matched control subjects

軽度要介護認定者の介護サービス未利用と社会関連性との関連

The objective of this study was to understand the state of long-term care service use by individuals certified as requiring lower care and, from the viewpoint of their relationship with society, to clarify why individuals do not use services. A questionnaire using un-named, individually filled-in forms via mailing was administered targeting 2,355 elderly people who maintain an at home lifestyle and receive approved Needing support 1 and 2 and Long-term care 1 and 2. We have received the following results. ① Participants not using had higher IADL scores. Also, the group who need support showed a significantly higher rate in living alone, and the group who need long-term care had a lower average age and showed a significantly higher rate in residency of 10 years or more. ② The group who need support responded, “Having discussion with family members” while the group who need longterm care responded, “no discussion with family members and other people.” Thereby, showing a relation to unused long-term care service. From the above results, we have determined that the group who need support and the group who need long-term care have different backgrounds, revealing the possibility that the groups require separate support measures. Moreover, there is a possibility that those not using but belonging to the group who need long-term care may be isolated from family and neighbors. Hence it may be required to create a mechanism in which we can gain an understanding of their situation and build an individual relationship with them through house-calls, etc

The Iron Discrepancy in Elliptical Galaxies after ASCA

We present estimates for the iron content of the stellar and diffused components of elliptical galaxies, as derived respectively from integrated optical spectra and from ASCA X-ray observations. A macroscopic discrepancy emerges between the expected iron abundances in the hot interstellar medium (ISM) and what is indicated by the X-ray observations, especially when allowance is made for the current iron enrichment by Type Ia supernovae. This strong discrepancy, that in some extreme instances may be as large as a factor of $\sim 20$, calls into question our current understanding of supernova enrichment and chemical evolution of galaxies. We discuss several astrophysical implications of the inferred low iron abundances in the ISM, including the chemical evolution of galaxies and cluster of galaxies, the evolution of gas flows in ellipticals, and the heating of the intracluster medium. Some of the consequences appear hard to accept, and in the attempt to avoid some of these difficulties we explore ways of hiding or diluting iron in the ISM of ellipticals. None of these possibilities appears astrophysically plausible, and we alternatively rise the question of the reliability of iron-L line diagonostic tools. Various thin plasma emission models are shown to give iron abundances that may differ significantly, especially at low temperatures (kT \lsim 1 keV). From a collection of ASCA and other X-ray observatory data, it is shown that current thin plasma codes tend to give very low iron abundances when the temperature of the objects is below $\sim 1$ keV. We conclude that -- besides rethinking the chemical evolution of galaxies -- one should also consider the possibility that existing thin plasma models may incorporate inaccurate atomic physics for the ions responsible for the iron-L complex.Comment: 39 pages, TeX file, 5 figures, Accepted for publication in the Ap

イチ カンゴケイダイガク ノ チイキコウケンカツドウ ニ オケル キャリアアップ コウザ ノ ブンセキ : - イリョウ ジュウジシャ ノ ジュコウシャ ジコヒョウカ アンケート カラ -

背景 A大学看護学部附属看護キャリアアップセンターでは, 平成23年の開設以来, 地域貢献の一つとして, "キャリアアップ講座 (主に臨床看護師への研究支援)" を開講している. 年々, 受講者が増加し, 研究への関心が高まっている. 目的 キャリアアップ講座において, 受講者の受講動機及び本講座の学習効果について, 受講後にアンケート調査を行うことにより, "キャリアアップ講座" の有用性を確認する. 同時に今後の課題についても検討する. 方法 「平成25年度 "キャリアアップ講座"」 に参加した38名を調査対象とし, 講座内容について独自に作成した無記名自記式質問紙調査票を用いて回答を得た. データの集計・分析は表計算ソフトMicrosoft office Excel 2007を使用し, 記述統計を行った.結果 分析対象となった受講者は3回の研修を通じて計94名であった. 職種では病院勤務の看護師が多かった. 受講背景は, 職場の上司からの薦めで受講した者が多かった. 多くの受講者が, 研究の意義や目的, 方法がわかったと回答した一方で, データ処理が不得手という傾向も確認できた.結論 アンケート結果から, 受講者の研究への関心の高さや学習効果に肯定的な結果を得た. これらの結果を, 今後のキャリアアップ講座内容の充実に反映させていきたい.Background Since the establishment of the Nursing Career-advancement Center affiliated with the Department of Nursing of A University in 2011, career-advancement classes have been held as a regional contribution activity. These classes are provided primarily to support clinical nurses with research activities, and there have been increases in the number of participants and their interests in research.Aim Following the career-advancement classes, questionnaire surveys were conducted to examine their utility and future challenges. Participants were asked to describe their motivation for participating in career-advancement classes and their learning effects.Methods The subjects were 38 health care professionals who participated in the "2013 Career-advancement Class", and they were asked to complete an originally developed, anonymous survey form including questions regarding the class. Descriptive statistical data were aggregated and analyzed using Microsoft Office Excel 2007 - spreadsheet software.Discussion The total number of subjects who participated in one of the three sessions was 94. The majority of the subjects were hospital nurses. A large number of health care professionals attended the class on the recommendation of their superiors. Although many participants stated that the class helped them learn research purposes and methods, some had difficulty processing data.Conclusions The survey results, which suggest that participants in the class became more interested in research and it had positive learning effects, can be used to improve the career-advancement class

The ASTRO-H X-ray Observatory

The joint JAXA/NASA ASTRO-H mission is the sixth in a series of highly successful X-ray missions initiated by the Institute of Space and Astronautical Science (ISAS). ASTRO-H will investigate the physics of the high-energy universe via a suite of four instruments, covering a very wide energy range, from 0.3 keV to 600 keV. These instruments include a high-resolution, high-throughput spectrometer sensitive over 0.3-2 keV with high spectral resolution of Delta E < 7 eV, enabled by a micro-calorimeter array located in the focal plane of thin-foil X-ray optics; hard X-ray imaging spectrometers covering 5-80 keV, located in the focal plane of multilayer-coated, focusing hard X-ray mirrors; a wide-field imaging spectrometer sensitive over 0.4-12 keV, with an X-ray CCD camera in the focal plane of a soft X-ray telescope; and a non-focusing Compton-camera type soft gamma-ray detector, sensitive in the 40-600 keV band. The simultaneous broad bandpass, coupled with high spectral resolution, will enable the pursuit of a wide variety of important science themes.Comment: 22 pages, 17 figures, Proceedings of the SPIE Astronomical Instrumentation "Space Telescopes and Instrumentation 2012: Ultraviolet to Gamma Ray

The Quiescent Intracluster Medium in the Core of the Perseus Cluster

Clusters of galaxies are the most massive gravitationally-bound objects in the Universe and are still forming. They are thus important probes of cosmological parameters and a host of astrophysical processes. Knowledge of the dynamics of the pervasive hot gas, which dominates in mass over stars in a cluster, is a crucial missing ingredient. It can enable new insights into mechanical energy injection by the central supermassive black hole and the use of hydrostatic equilibrium for the determination of cluster masses. X-rays from the core of the Perseus cluster are emitted by the 50 million K diffuse hot plasma filling its gravitational potential well. The Active Galactic Nucleus of the central galaxy NGC1275 is pumping jetted energy into the surrounding intracluster medium, creating buoyant bubbles filled with relativistic plasma. These likely induce motions in the intracluster medium and heat the inner gas preventing runaway radiative cooling; a process known as Active Galactic Nucleus Feedback. Here we report on Hitomi X-ray observations of the Perseus cluster core, which reveal a remarkably quiescent atmosphere where the gas has a line-of-sight velocity dispersion of 164+/-10 km/s in a region 30-60 kpc from the central nucleus. A gradient in the line-of-sight velocity of 150+/-70 km/s is found across the 60 kpc image of the cluster core. Turbulent pressure support in the gas is 4% or less of the thermodynamic pressure, with large scale shear at most doubling that estimate. We infer that total cluster masses determined from hydrostatic equilibrium in the central regions need little correction for turbulent pressure.Comment: 31 pages, 11 Figs, published in Nature July

Hitomi (ASTRO-H) X-ray Astronomy Satellite

The Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission is the sixth Japanese x-ray astronomy satellite developed by a large international collaboration, including Japan, USA, Canada, and Europe. The mission aimed to provide the highest energy resolution ever achieved at E  >  2  keV, using a microcalorimeter instrument, and to cover a wide energy range spanning four decades in energy from soft x-rays to gamma rays. After a successful launch on February 17, 2016, the spacecraft lost its function on March 26, 2016, but the commissioning phase for about a month provided valuable information on the onboard instruments and the spacecraft system, including astrophysical results obtained from first light observations. The paper describes the Hitomi (ASTRO-H) mission, its capabilities, the initial operation, and the instruments/spacecraft performances confirmed during the commissioning operations for about a month

Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use in early acute respiratory distress syndrome : Insights from the LUNG SAFE study

Publisher Copyright: © 2020 The Author(s). Copyright: Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.Background: Concerns exist regarding the prevalence and impact of unnecessary oxygen use in patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). We examined this issue in patients with ARDS enrolled in the Large observational study to UNderstand the Global impact of Severe Acute respiratory FailurE (LUNG SAFE) study. Methods: In this secondary analysis of the LUNG SAFE study, we wished to determine the prevalence and the outcomes associated with hyperoxemia on day 1, sustained hyperoxemia, and excessive oxygen use in patients with early ARDS. Patients who fulfilled criteria of ARDS on day 1 and day 2 of acute hypoxemic respiratory failure were categorized based on the presence of hyperoxemia (PaO2 > 100 mmHg) on day 1, sustained (i.e., present on day 1 and day 2) hyperoxemia, or excessive oxygen use (FIO2 ≥ 0.60 during hyperoxemia). Results: Of 2005 patients that met the inclusion criteria, 131 (6.5%) were hypoxemic (PaO2 < 55 mmHg), 607 (30%) had hyperoxemia on day 1, and 250 (12%) had sustained hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use occurred in 400 (66%) out of 607 patients with hyperoxemia. Excess FIO2 use decreased from day 1 to day 2 of ARDS, with most hyperoxemic patients on day 2 receiving relatively low FIO2. Multivariate analyses found no independent relationship between day 1 hyperoxemia, sustained hyperoxemia, or excess FIO2 use and adverse clinical outcomes. Mortality was 42% in patients with excess FIO2 use, compared to 39% in a propensity-matched sample of normoxemic (PaO2 55-100 mmHg) patients (P = 0.47). Conclusions: Hyperoxemia and excess oxygen use are both prevalent in early ARDS but are most often non-sustained. No relationship was found between hyperoxemia or excessive oxygen use and patient outcome in this cohort. Trial registration: LUNG-SAFE is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02010073publishersversionPeer reviewe