若年女性の香りに対する意識と実態

若年女性が香りに対してどのような意識を持ち、香り付き商品を使っているのかを明らかにするために、アンケート調査を実施した。調査内容は、香りへの興味、居住空間における香り付け、香り付き商品の使用頻度、日用品の選択において香り付きを選択するか、香り付き商品の購入基準や使用目的などであった。公的自意識、ファッション意識を同時に尋ね、香りへの意識や行動との関連を分析した。その結果、若年女性の多くは香りに興味があり、目的に合わせて香り付き商品を選択し、使用している実態が明らかになった。ファッション意識をタイプ別に分けて香りへの意識・行動を分析した結果、公的自意識が高い人ほど、ファッション意識が高く、流行を意識しており、自分から香りがするのが好きであった。ファション意識の高い女性は、すでに香りをファッションの一部として上手に取り入れて楽しんでいる。若年女性の多くは香りに興味を持っており、今後ますますファッションとして香りを活用する人が増えていくと考えられる

においの快・不快が生理反応に及ぼす影響

近年、日常的に使用する生活用品の多くに香りが付与され、香りは日常生活において欠かすことのできない存在となりつつある。本研究では、ストレス負荷の状態において、快適と感じるにおいがリラックス効果をもたらし、生理反応にまで影響を及ぼすのかを解明することを目的とし、快適な環境で香りを嗅いだ時のリラックス状態を脳波測定により観察する実験Ａと、暑熱環境で汗をかいている不快な状態で香りを嗅いだ時の生体反応を観察する実験Ｂを行なった。実験Ａでは、グレープフルーツのにおい付与時にα波出現率が増加し、イソ吉草酸付与時には減少したことから、グレープフルーツを嗅ぐことによりリラックス効果があることが確認できた。実験Ｂでは暑熱環境下で騒音負荷中ににおいを嗅ぐと、多量発汗グループにおいて、グレープフルーツの方がイソ吉草酸よりも有意に発汗量が減少し、発汗抑制が認められた。本研究結果から、不快な状態でグレープフルーツのにおいを嗅ぐことは、心理的にも生理的にもストレスや不快感を緩和する効果があることが示唆された

Impact of Twitter on Article Viewership

Background: The impact of promotional tweets from the official journal account (for Circulation Journal and Circulation Reports) on article viewership has not been thoroughly evaluated. Methods and Results: We retrospectively collected journal viewership data for Circulation Journal and Circulation Reports from March 2021 to August 2021. We compared viewership between articles with (n=15) and without (n=250) tweets. After 1 : 4 propensity score matching (15 tweeted articles and 60 non-tweeted matched controls), journal viewership metrics within 7 days of the tweeting date (and the hypothetical tweeting date), was larger in tweeted articles than non-tweeted articles (median [interquartile range] Abstract page views 89 [60–104] vs. 18 [8–41]). Conclusions: This pilot study suggests a positive relationship between journal-posted promotional tweets and article viewership

Population Pharmacokinetic Analysis and Dosing Optimization of Prophylactic Fluconazole in Japanese Patients with Hematological Malignancy

We conducted population pharmacokinetic (PPK) analysis and Monte Carlo simulations to determine the appropriate prophylactic dose of fluconazole to prevent invasive candidiasis in patients with hematological malignancies. Patients receiving chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation at Yokohama City University Hospital between November 2018 and March 2020 were included. Additionally, patients receiving oral fluconazole for prophylaxis were recruited. We set the free area under the curve/minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) = 50 as the target and determined the largest MIC (breakpoint MIC) that could achieve more than 90% probability of target attainment. The blood fluconazole concentration of 54 patients (119 points) was used for PPK analysis. The optimal model was the one-compartment model with first-order administration and first-order elimination incorporating creatinine clearance (CLcr) as a covariate of clearance and body weight as a covariate of distribution volume. We conducted Monte Carlo simulation with fluconazole at 200 mg/day or 400 mg/day dosing schedules and patient body weight and CLcr ranging from 40 to 70 kg and 40–140 mL/min, respectively. The breakpoint MICs on the first dosing day and at steady state were 0.5–1.0 μg/mL and 1.0–2.0 μg/mL for 200 mg/day and 1.0–2.0 μg/mL and 2.0–4.0 μg/mL for 400 mg/day, respectively. The recommended dose was 400–700 mg/day for the loading dose and 200–400 mg/day for the maintenance dose. Our findings suggest that the optimal prophylactic dose of fluconazole in hematological malignancy patients depends on CLcr and body weight, and a sufficient loading and maintenance dose may be needed to completely prevent invasive candidiasis

Species Distribution of Candidemia and Their Susceptibility in a Single Japanese University Hospital: Prior Micafungin Use Affects the Appearance of Candida parapsilosis and Elevation of Micafungin MICs in Non-parapsilosis Candida Species

Introduction: Micafungin is a recommended echinocandin antifungal agent for candidemia treatment and prophylaxis. However, overuse of echinocandin antifungals may cause resistance. There is currently no information available regarding the low susceptibility associated with using micafungin. This study investigated the effect of micafungin use on changes in the detected Candida species and low susceptibility. Methods: We conducted a retrospective survey and included records of Candida spp. detected in blood cultures from January 2010 to December 2018 in our hospital. Survey items included clinical outcomes at 30 days after positive cultures, patient characteristics, and drug prescription status. Patient background information included gender, previous hospitalization, stay in the intensive care unit, comorbidities, and history of surgery (within 90 days before candidemia onset) and drug exposure. Species detected and their minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) and amount of antifungal prescriptions by department were investigated. Risk factors for detecting C. parapsilosis and for low susceptibility to micafungin were evaluated using multivariate analysis. Results: A total of 153 Candida clinical blood isolates were collected and C. albicans was the most prevalent species, followed by C. parapsilosis and C. glabrata. In the analysis by department, antifungal use and non-albicans Candida species were most frequently detected in the hematology department. Multivariate analysis showed that prior micafungin use increased the risk of C. parapsilosis (odds ratio (OR) 4.22; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.39–12.79; p = 0.011). MIC90 of micafungin on C. glabrata and C. parapsilosis was 1.0 μg/mL. Prior micafungin use was clarified as a risk factor resulting in MIC > 0.06 μg/mL for micafungin in non-parapsilosis Candida species (OR 13.2; 95% CI 3.23–54.2; p < 0.01). Conclusion: Prior micafungin use increased the risk of C. parapsilosis and the MIC > 0.06 μg/mL of micafungin in non-parapsilosis Candida species. Since there are only a few antifungal options, further antifungal stewardship considering azole antifungal agents use is required

Comparison of Unguided De-Escalation Versus Guided Selection of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis

International audienceBackground: The benefit of dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) for reducing ischemic events is greatest in the early period of acute coronary syndrome, and recent randomized controlled trials have investigated the unguided de-escalation strategy of changing potent P2Y 12 inhibitors to less potent or reduced-dose P2Y 12 inhibitors 1 month after acute coronary syndrome. However, it remains unclear which strategy is more effective and safer: the uniform unguided de-escalation strategy versus the personalized guided selection of DAPT with genotype or platelet function tests. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Central were searched for articles published from database inception to September 10, 2021. Randomized controlled trials investigating DAPT using clopidogrel, low-dose prasugrel, standard-dose prasugrel, ticagrelor, unguided de-escalation strategy, and guided selection strategy for patients with acute coronary syndrome were included. Hazard ratios and relative risk estimates were extracted from each study. The estimates were pooled using a random-effects network meta-analysis. The primary efficacy outcome was major adverse cardiovascular events, defined as a composite of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, or stroke. The primary safety outcome was major or minor bleeding. Secondary outcomes were all-cause death, cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, stent thrombosis, and major bleeding. Results: This study included 19 randomized controlled trials with 69 746 patients. Compared with guided selection of DAPT, unguided de-escalation of DAPT was associated with a decreased risk of the primary safety outcome (hazard ratio, 0.48 [95% CI, 0.33–0.72]) without increased risks of major adverse cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 0.82 [95% CI, 0.53–1.28]) or any secondary outcomes. The results were similar when the guided selection strategy was divided into platelet function–guided and genotype-guided strategies. Conclusions: Compared with guided selection of DAPT, unguided de-escalation of DAPT decreased bleeding without increasing ischemic events in patients after acute coronary syndrome. If a strategy of de-escalation is chosen, these findings do not support the routine use of personalized guiding tests. Registration: URL: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ ; Unique identifier: CRD42021273082