VUVリソグラフィによる可撓性高分子基板上への機能性微細パターンの構築

京都大学0048新制・課程博士博士(工学)甲第22776号工博第4775号新制||工||1747(附属図書館)京都大学大学院工学研究科材料工学専攻(主査)教授 杉村 博之, 教授 邑瀬 邦明, 教授 宇田 哲也学位規則第4条第1項該当Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering)Kyoto UniversityDFA

Clinical outcome of extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli bacteremia in an area with high endemicity

Objectives: This study assessed the impact of discordant empirical antibiotic therapy on the outcome of bacteremia caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase (ESBL)-producing Escherichia coli. Methods: The clinical features and outcomes of a cohort of patients hospitalized with ESBL E. coli bacteremia between 2007 and 2008 were retrospectively reviewed. The effect of different antimicrobial regimens on patient outcomes was analyzed. Results: ESBL E. coli accounted for 24.2% (207/857) of E. coli bacteremia cases. The urinary tract (43.6%) was the most common source of infection, followed by the hepatobiliary tract (23.0%). Discordant empirical antibiotic therapy was given to 52.0% patients. Admission to the intensive care unit was associated with the use of a carbapenem as empirical antibiotic therapy (p<. 0.001). Univariate analysis revealed no significant differences in 30-day mortality rates between patients receiving concordant and discordant empirical antibiotic therapy (23.5% vs. 19.8%, p=. 0.526), carbapenem and non-carbapenem empirical antibiotic therapy (29.8% vs. 19.1%, p=. 0.118), beta-lactam/beta-lactam inhibitor combinations (BLBLIs) and non-BLBLIs empirical antibiotic therapy (20.3% vs. 22.3%, p=. 0.734), cephalosporin and non-cephalosporin empirical antibiotic therapy (19.7% vs. 22.6%, p=. 0.639), and fluoroquinolone and non-fluoroquinolone empirical antibiotic therapy (8.3% vs. 22.4%, p=. 0.251). The findings were confirmed by multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Despite a high proportion of discordant empirical antibiotic therapy, ESBL production had little effect on 30-day mortality. Whether the observation can be applied to different ESBL types is unknown and warrants further study. © 2012 International Society for Infectious Diseases.postprin

The Multi-shadow Analysis of LED Secondary Optics

AbstractDue to these advantages, small size, low heat radiation, long life time, and high luminous efficiency, the light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been used widely to the varied lighting in recent years. However, the LEDs have the higher intensity of light in central region and the scattering in the surrounding during lighting, so it is necessary to modify the LED projection by the secondary optical lens. The extra secondary optical lens can enhance the light collection efficiency of LED, but it will readily induce the multi-shadow phenomenon during lighting, which has a significant impact on the human vision. In this study, the LED illumination module with/without secondary optical lens, total internal reflected (TIR) lens or reflection mirror cup, can be simulated by the Apilux(R) optical software. The result indicates that the approach can identify the level of multi-shadow images according to the deviations in light intensity, and will be new performance criteria of LEDs for users

Formation of submicron-sized silica patterns on flexible polymer substrates based on vacuum ultraviolet photooxidation

Formation of precise and high-resolution silica micropatterns on polymer substrates is of importance in surface structuring for flexible device fabrication of optics, microelectronic, and biotechnology. To achieve that, substrates modified with affinity-patterns serve as a strategy for site-selective deposition. In the present paper, vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) treatment is utilized to achieve spatially-controlled surface functionalization on a cyclo-olefin polymer (COP) substrate. An organosilane, 2, 4, 6, 8-tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane (TMCTS), preferentially deposits on the functionalized regions. Well-defined patterns of TMCTS are formed with a minimum feature of ∼500 nm. The secondary VUV/(O)-treatment converts TMCTS into SiOx, meanwhile etches the bare COP surface, forming patterned SiOx/COP microstructures with an average height of ∼150 nm. The resulting SiOx patterns retain a good copy of TMCTS patterns, which are also consistent with the patterns of photomask used in polymer affinity-patterning. The high quality SiOx patterns are of interests in microdevice fabrication, and the hydrophilicity contrast and adjustable heights reveal their potential application as a “stamp” for microcontact printing (μCP) techniques

High prevalence of Escherichia coli sequence type 131 among antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates from geriatric patients

Previous work on the subclones within Escherichia coli ST131 predominantly involved isolates from Western countries. This study assessed the prevalence and antimicrobial resistance attributed to this clonal group. A total of 340 consecutive, non-duplicated urinary E. coli isolates originating from four clinical laboratories in Hong Kong in 2013 were tested. ST131 prevalence among the total isolates was 18.5 % (63/340) and was higher among inpatient isolates (23.0 %) than outpatient isolates (11.8 %, P<0.001), and higher among isolates from patients aged ≥65 years than from patients aged 18–50 years and 51–64 years (25.4 vs 3.4 and 4.0 %, respectively, P<0.001). Of the 63 ST131 isolates, 43 (68.3 %) isolates belonged to the H30 subclone, whereas the remaining isolates belonged to H41 (n = 17), H54 (n = 2) and H22 (n = 1). All H30 isolates were ciprofloxacin-resistant, of which 18.6 % (8/43) belonged to the H30-Rx subclone. Twenty-six (41.3 %) ST131 isolates were ESBL-producers, of which 19 had bla CTX-M-14 (12 non-H30-Rx, two H30-Rx and five H41), six had bla CTX-M-15 (five non-H30-Rx and one H30-Rx) and one was bla CTX-M-negative (H30). In conclusion, ST131 accounts for a large share of the antimicrobial-resistant E. coli isolates from geriatric patients. Unlike previous reports, ESBL-producing ST131 strains mainly belonged to non-H30-Rx rather than the H30-Rx subclone, with bla CTX-M-14 as the dominant enzyme type.postprin

Modulation of human cardiac transient outward potassium current by EGFR tyrosine kinase and Src-family kinases

Aims: The human cardiac transient outward K + current Ito (encoded by Kv4.3 or KCND3) plays an important role in phase 1 rapid repolarization of cardiac action potentials in the heart. However, modulation of I to by intracellular signal transduction is not fully understood. The present study was therefore designed to determine whether/how human atrial I to and hKv4.3 channels stably expressed in HEK 293 cells are regulated by protein tyrosine kinases (PTKs). Methods and results: Whole-cell patch voltage-clamp, immunoprecipitation, western blotting, and site-directed mutagenesis approaches were employed in the present study. We found that human atrial I to was inhibited by the broad-spectrum PTK inhibitor genistein, the selective epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) kinase inhibitor AG556, and the Src-family kinases inhibitor PP2. The inhibitory effect was countered by the protein tyrosine phosphatase inhibitor orthovanadate. In HEK 293 cells stably expressing human KCND3, genistein, AG556, and PP2 significantly reduced the hKv4.3 current, and the reduction was antagonized by orthovanadate. Interestingly, orthovanadate also reversed the reduced tyrosine phosphorylation level of hKv4.3 channels by genistein, AG556, or PP2. Mutagenesis revealed that the hKv4.3 mutant Y136F lost the inhibitory response to AG556, while Y108F lost response to PP2. The double-mutant Y108FY136F hKv4.3 channels showed no response to either AG556 or PP2. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that human atrial Ito and cloned hKv4.3 channels are modulated by EGFR kinase via phosphorylation of the Y136 residue and by Src-family kinases via phosphorylation of the Y108 residue; tyrosine phosphorylation of the channel may be involved in regulating cardiac electrophysiology. © The Author 2011.postprin

Observation of interlayer phonon modes in van der Waals heterostructures

We have investigated the vibrational properties of van der Waals heterostructures of monolayer transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs), specifically MoS2/WSe2 and MoSe2/MoS2 heterobilayers as well as twisted MoS2 bilayers, by means of ultralow-frequency Raman spectroscopy. We discovered Raman features (at 30 ~ 40 cm-1) that arise from the layer-breathing mode (LBM) vibrations between the two incommensurate TMD monolayers in these structures. The LBM Raman intensity correlates strongly with the suppression of photoluminescence that arises from interlayer charge transfer. The LBM is generated only in bilayer areas with direct layer-layer contact and atomically clean interface. Its frequency also evolves systematically with the relative orientation between of the two layers. Our research demonstrates that LBM can serve as a sensitive probe to the interface environment and interlayer interactions in van der Waals materials

Optimising antimicrobial prescription in hospitals by introducing an antimicrobial stewardship programme in Hong Kong: Consensus statement

Objective. To discuss the implementation of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' as a means to improve the quality of antimicrobial use in a hospital setting in Hong Kong. Participants. Consensus working group on 'antimicrobial stewardship programme', The Scientific Committee on Infection Control, Centre for Health Protection, Department of Health, comprised 11 experts. The remit of the working group was to discuss the rationale and requirement for optimising antimicrobial prescriptions in hospitals by the introduction of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme'. Evidence. PubMed articles, national and international guidelines, and abstracts of international meetings published between January 2000 and December 2004 on programmes for improving the use of antimicrobials in hospitals. Only English medical literature was reviewed. Consensus process. Data search was performed independently by three members of the working group. They met on three occasions before the meeting to discuss all collected articles. A final draft was circulated to the working group before a meeting on 3 January 2005. Five commonly asked questions about an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' were selected for discussion by the participants. Published information on the rationale, components, outcome measures, advantages, and disadvantages of the programme was reviewed. Recent unpublished data from local studies of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' were also discussed. The timing, potential problems, and practical issues involved in the implementation of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' in Hong Kong were then considered. The consensus statement was circulated to and approved by all participants. Conclusion. The continuous indiscriminate and excessive use of antimicrobial agents promotes the emergence of antibiotic-resistant organisms. Antimicrobial resistance substantially raises already-rising health care costs and increases patient morbidity and mortality. Pattern of prescriptions in hospitals can be improved through the implementation of an 'antimicrobial stewardship programme'. A 'universal' and 'continuous' 'antimicrobial stewardship programme' should now be established in Hong Kong hospitals.published_or_final_versio

Virological investigation of four outbreaks of influenza B reassortants in the northern region of Taiwan from October 2006 to February 2007

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>From October 2006 to February 2007, clinical specimens from 452 patients with symptoms related to respiratory tract infection in the northern region of Taiwan were collected. Real-time PCR and direct immunofluorescent antibody tests showed that 145 (32%) patients had influenza B virus infections. Subsequently, nucleotide sequence analyses of both hemagglutinin (HA) and neuraminidase (NA) genes of 39 isolates were performed. Isolated viruses were antigenically characterized using hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) test.</p> <p>Findings</p> <p>Phylogenetic tree analysis showed that all the isolates belonged to the B reassortant lineage with HA gene belonged to the B/Victoria/2/87 lineage and the NA gene belonged to the B/Yamagata/16/88 lineage. In addition, a group of children aged between 6 to 8 years old resided in Yilan county were infected with a variant strain. Hemagglutinin inhibition (HI) tests confirmed that all the reassortant influenza B viruses were B/Malaysia/2506/04-like viruses. Pre- and post-immunized serum samples from 4 normal volunteers inoculated with 2007 influenza vaccine were evaluated for their HI activity on 6 reassortant B isolates including two variants that we found in the Yilan county. The results demonstrated that after vaccination, all four vaccinees had at least 4-fold increases of their HI titers.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>The results indicate that the 2006–2007 seasonal influenza vaccine was effective in stimulating protective immunity against the influenza B variants identified in Yilan county. Continuous surveillance of emerging influenza B variants in the northern region of Taiwan is important for the selection of proper vaccine candidate in the future.</p