Functional Confirmation Using a Medical X-Ray System of a Semiconductor Survey Meter

In recent years, semiconductor survey meters have been developed and are in increasing demand worldwide. This study determined if it is possible to use the X-ray system installed in each medical facility to calculate the time constant of a semiconductor survey meter and confirm the meter’s function. An additional filter was attached to the medical X-ray system to satisfy the standards of N-60 to N-120, more copper plates were added as needed, and the first and second half-value layers were calculated to enable comparisons of the facility’s X-ray system quality with the N-60 to N-120 quality values. Next, we used a medical X-ray system to measure the leakage dose and calculate the time constant of the survey meter. The functionality of the meter was then checked and compared with the energy characteristics of the meter. The experimental results showed that it was possible to use a medical X-ray system to reproduce the N-60 to N-120 radiation quality values and to calculate the time constant from the measured results, assuming actual leakage dosimetry for that radiation quality. We also found that the calibration factor was equivalent to that of the energy characteristics of the survey meter.

Assessment of Human Skeletal Muscle Contraction and Force by Diffusion Tensor Imaging

We aimed to investigate the association between mobility and skeletal muscle strength by using magnetic resonance diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). This study included 20 healthy male volunteers (mean age, 21.8 ± 1.1 years). The maximum voluntary strength (MVC) of each participant was measured with the ankle joint in plantar and dorsal flexion using an instrument for measuring muscle strength. Moreover, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed with the ankle joint at rest, in plantar flexion, and in dorsal flexion. For imaging, a 1.5-T MRI device was used, and a diffusion-weighted stimulated echo-planar imaging pulse sequence. Tensor eigenvalues (λ), fractional anisotropy (FA), and the apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) were calculated from data obtained by DTI. The resulting MRI data were compared to the data on muscle mobility or strength and statistically analyzed. Regarding changes in DTI indices during muscle movements, anisotropy of the tibialis anterior was significantly increased from rest to plantar flexion (P < 0.01), whereas no significant change was observed in dorsal flexion (n.s.). In contrast, the extent of significant changes in anisotropy of the medial gastrocnemius (mGC) and soleus (SOL) was small at plantar flexion (mGC, P < 0.01;SOL, n.s.), whereas the indices were significantly increased at dorsal flexion (P < 0.01). Regarding the correlation between MVC of each skeletal muscle and the DTI indices, FA and λ3 were significantly correlated in movements involving the muscles, whereas no significant correlation was observed in movements not involving them. Changes in intramuscular water molecules by elongation and contraction of the skeletal muscle fibers could be assumed to affect changes in diffusional anisotropy. When muscles contract, the space between myocytes was reduced and they might become increasingly dense. Moreover, diffusional anisotropy increased with increasing MVC, whereas ADC remained unchanged. DTI was suggested to produce measurements similar to the degree of muscle strength.

A preliminary study on rectal dose reduction associated with hyaluronic acid implantation in brachytherapy for prostate cancer

Objectives: Hydrogel spacer (HS) was developed to reduce rectal toxicities caused by radiotherapy, but has been reported to cause major adverse events. Our institute has attempted to introduce a hyaluronic acid (HA) as an alternative spacer. This study aimed to compare rectal doses and geometric distributions between the HS and HA implantation in prostate cancer.Methods: HS and HA were inserted in 20 and 18 patients undergoing high-dose brachytherapy, respectively. The rectum spacer volumes injected were 10 mL and 22 mL, respectively. In the treatment planning system, 13.5 Gy was administered with common catheter positions. The rectal dose indices were assessed between the spacer groups for dosimetry evaluation. Distances between the prostate and rectum and configurations of the spacers were compared.Results: The mean doses irradiated to 0.1 and 2 mL of the rectum were 10.45 Gy and 6.71 Gy for HS, and 6.73 Gy and 4.90 Gy for HA (p<0.001). The mean minimum distances between the prostate and rectum were 1.23 cm and 1.79 cm for HS and HA, respectively (p<0.05). Geometrical configuration comparisons revealed that HA has a higher ability to expand the space than HS.Conclusion: The rectal dose reduction ability of HA is significantly greater than that of HS, suggesting its potential as a new spacer.

Nurses' and students' perception of risk from medical practices

Objectives: To determine the risk perceptions of a series of medical practices in non-expert (un-dergraduates) and expert (nurses) samples.Methods: Four hundred and forty-seven nurses and 246 undergraduate students participated in this study. They all answered questionnaires about the risk dimensions and acceptance for medical practices. Results: An exploratory factor analysis on participants' answers to various dimensions of risk yielded a two-factor structure for risk perception in both samples: for nurses, the factors were"Unknown"and"Dread,"while for students, they were"Dread"and"Lack of Independence."For both nurses and stu-dents, the factor scores of Dread negatively related to individual risk acceptance of medical practices. Furthermore, nurses tended to be more accepting of practices that they knew well (i.e., low Unknown scale scores). For students, the subscale scores of the Lack of Independence factor negatively related to individual risk acceptance only for health examination practices. Nurses conceived risks more correctly and concretely compared to students. This was especially pronounced for practices related to medication use. Conclusions: Although both nurses and students conceived various risk contents from medical practices, their conceptions still differed. Knowledge of these differences in the structure of risk perception and conceived risk contents of various medical practices between nurses and students could be utilized to improve risk communication in clinical practice.

Mental health of mothers and their premature infants for the prevention of child abuse and maltreatment

Birth of preterm infants is a stressful event for their parents, particularly for mothers. The mothers of preterm infants often feel hard to relate their infants because they have separated since their first days after delivery. Long term separation and less attractive, less responsive appearance of preterm infants also make it difficult to build mother-child relationships. In addition, the mothers of preterm infants are likely to have mood disorders such as depression, anxiety, and stress-related disorders. The mothers’ psychiatric illnesses affect the psychosocial development of preterm infants and are often regarded as a risk factor for child abuse and maltreatment in later life. Child abuse and maltreatment are also prevalent among preterm infants than the full term infants. Intervention from the early period of preterm birth is an important issue for both preterm infants and their mothers. Medical and co-medical professionals should pay attention to developmental outcome of preterm as well as psychosocial conditions of their mothers for the improvement of their mental health.

A 100% Water Mobile Phase HPLC-PDA Analysis of Meamine and Related Analogues

This paper describes a reserved-phase high performance liquid chromatographic method for detecting melamine (MEL) and related analogues, cyanuric acid (CYA), ammeline (AML), and ammelide (AMD), using a 100% water mobile phase. Chromatographic separation was performed an Inertsil? ODS-4 (250 × 4.6 mm, 5 μm) with a water mobile phase and a photodiode-array detector. The monitoring wavelength was adjusted to 210 nm which represents an average maximum for all the analytes. The total run time was < 8 min. The method shows high stability, significant linearity and satisfactory sensitivity. The detection limits were established in the range 23 - 46 ng.mL–1. An inexpensive and harmless method for the simultaneous detection of MEL, CYA, AML, and AMD was developed and may be further applied to the quantification in foods.

Predictive Factors for Smartphone Dependence: Relationship to Demographic Characteristics, Chronotype, and Depressive State of University Students

We investigated factors contributing to smartphone dependence. To 196 medical university students, we administered a set of self-reporting questionnaires designed to evaluate demographic characteristics, smartphone dependence, chronotype, and depressive state. Smartphone dependence was evaluated using the Wakayama Smartphone-Dependence Scale (WSDS) with 3 subscales: Subscale 1, immersion in Internet communication;Subscale 2, using a smartphone for extended periods of time and neglecting social obligations and other tasks;Subscale 3, using a smartphone while doing something else and neglect of etiquette. Multiple regression analyses revealed that living in a family, eveningness, and presence of depression were associated with Subscale 1, that living in a family and eveningness were also associated with Subscale 2, and that being a man was associated with Subscale 3. These findings suggest that smartphone dependence can be predicted by factors such as gender, mode of residence, chronotype, or depressive state.

Poor Schedule Management Leads to Discontinuity of Medical Attendance among Patients Infected with HIV

Dropout from medical attendance is a well-recognized issue among patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. We interviewed 23 HIV-positive patients and used text mining methods to analyse the risk factors for dropout. Fifteen patients continued medical attendance and eight patients dropped out of medical attendance. Categories were extracted from the interview data of the patients who continued medical attendance (i.e., the continuity group) and the patients who dropped out of medical care (i.e., the discontinuity group). Categories of the continuity group included needing to take a day off for medical attendance, scheduling each appointment, writing down medical appointments, being grateful for the medical care, and 12 additional categories. Categories of discontinuity group included forgetting the dates of medical appointments, not needing to get a day off for medical attendance, allowing aid for medical care to expire, and 10 additional categories. The discontinuity group had poorer schedule management than the continuity group, which caused them to forget their next medical appointments and delay the renewal of aid for medical care. Thus, medical staff may be able to prevent dropouts by ensuring that patients record the dates of their medical appointments.

Effect of mango seed kernel extract on the adipogenesis in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in rats fed a high fat diet

Mangoes (Mangifera indica L.) are one of the most important tropical foods. The seed is one of the main by-products of mango processing. Therefore, it is important to find an economically viable use for this waste (e.g., as a food additive or supplement with high nutraceutical value). We investigated the anti-obesity effects of mango seed kernel extract with hot water (MSKE-W) in 3T3-L1 adipocytes and in a high fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity rat model. MSKE-W caused a significant decrease in the activity of glycerol 2-phosphate dehydrogenase in 3T3-L1 adipocytes without eliciting cell cytotoxicity and inhibited cellular lipid accumulation through down-regulation of transcription factors such as PPARγ and C/EBPα. In the animal model, rats fed an HFD containing 1% MSKE-W gained less weight than rats fed an HFD alone. The visceral fat mass in rats fed an HFD containing 1% MSKE-W tended to be lower than that in rats fed an HFD alone. Furthermore, histological examination of rat livers from an HFD showed steatohepatitis. However, rats on an HFD containning 1% MSKE-W showed no histopathological changes in liver tissue. Our results indicate that MSKE-W influences anti-obesity effects, both in vitro and in vivo, and suggest that MSKE-W provides a novel preventive potential against obesity.

Fatigue Alleviation Mechanism of Citric Acid Determined by Gene Expression Analysis in the Mouse Liver

Citric acid has been recognized for its ability to alleviate fatigue;however, the mechanism contributing to this effect has not yet been elucidated. Our previous study suggested that the alleviation of fatigue by citric acid intake might be induced by the acceleration of gluconeogenesis. In this study, we tested this hypothesis and evaluated whether the intake of citric acid accelerates gluconeogenesis in the mouse liver through microarray analysis. Because the microarray of focus includes 200 metabolic genes, it could be used to provide information on genes related to glucose metabolism as well as other pathways such as inflammation. Eight-week-old male C57/BL6J mice were divided into the distilled water and citric acid groups (n = 6), and were administered distilled water or a citric acid solution (20 mg/30g body weight) intragastrically with a probe, respectively. Forty minutes after administration, the mice were sacrificed by decapitation. The blood glucose level of the citric acid group was significantly higher (P = 0.001) than that of the distilled water group. The expression levels of genes related to glucose metabolism (Gck, Pfkl, Pklr, Pck1, G6pc) were not changed by the intake of citric acid. On the other hand, some transcriptional differences were observed in several other genes, including those related to inflammation, blood pressure, the electron transport system, uncoupling proteins, and anti-oxidation. The expression levels of genes related to inflammation were reduced in the citric acid group;e.g., the Il6 expression level was 0.78 times lower in the citric acid group than that in the distilled water group. In conclusion, the results of this study suggest that citric acid intake could accelerate gluconeogenesis and suppresses inflammation. Therefore, the fatigue-alleviation effects of citric acid might be induced by an additive effect between the maintenance of blood glucose levels and the suppression of inflammation.

Glutathione Production by <i>Yarrowia lipolytica</i>Showing Both Methyglyoxal Resistance and a High Activity of Glutathione Synthetase

Although Yarrowia lipolytica is an important host strain, there have so far been few studies on the production of glutathione by the strain. We therefore performed a study to obtain an improved strain of Y. lipolytica ATCC20688, which could produce a high yield of glutathione. First, the capability of glutathione production in the ATCC20688 strain was estimated. In comparison with other yeasts, the yield of this strain was higher than those in Pichia strains. Furthermore, this strain could produce glutathione by assimilating sodium oleate. We next performed mutation and gene cloning to improve the yield. After the yield of glutathione was improved in the isolated methylglyoxal-resistant mutant (MGR3), the glutathione synthetase gene was cloned into the MGR3 strain. By using this recombinant strain, we could reach the maximum yield and intracellular content of glutathione of 54 mg/L-medium and 30 mg/g-dry cell weight, respectively.

Relationship of Smartphone Dependence to General Health Status and Personality Traits among University Students

We investigated associations between smartphone dependence and general health status or personality traits. To 197 medical university students, we administered a set of self-reporting questionnaires designed to evaluate these parameters. For males, smartphone dependence positively correlated with somatic symptoms, anxiety and insomnia, and emotional instability, and negatively correlated with agreeableness. For females, smartphone dependence positively correlated with somatic symptoms, severe depression, and extraversion, and negatively correlated with social dysfunction. These findings suggest that smartphone dependence may be associated with general health status or personality traits and that there may be a gender difference in these associations.

Development of Japanese Version of Smartphone Dependence Scale

We designed a Japanese version of the Smartphone Dependence Scale (J-SDS) for university students, and assessed its validity and reliability. For development of this scale, we initially selected 43 preliminary items based on previous studies of Internet and mobile phone dependence. Each response was scored using a Likert scale (0, 1, 2, 3), with higher scores indicating greater dependence. After administering the preliminary scale to 149 university students, the final 29 items were selected according to exploratory factor analysis. The final scale consisted of 5 factors: 1) craving and withdrawal, 2) overuse and tolerance, 3) virtual life orientation, 4) disturbance of concentration in class, and 5) physical symptoms. Reliability coefficient (Cronbach’s alpha) values for the 5 factors and total J-SDS were 0.87, 0.87, 0.76, 0.77, 0.69, and 0.92, respectively. We then summed the Likert scores for each item to provide a quantitative overall smartphone dependence score, with higher scores indicating greater dependence. The J-SDS score became significantly higher with longer hours of smartphone use (p < 0.001). Our results suggest that the J-SDS is a reliable and valid scale for screening university students who may be at risk of developing smartphone dependence.

Computational Identification of Confirmatory Factor Analysis Model with Simplimax Procedures

Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) refers to the FA procedure with some loadings constrained to be zeros. A difficulty in CFA is that the constraint must be specified by users in a subjective manner. For dealing with this difficulty, we propose a computational method, in which the best CFA solution is obtained optimally without relying on users’ judgements. The method consists of the procedures at lower (L) and higher (H) levels: at the L level, for a fixed number of zero loadings, it is determined both which loadings are to be zeros and what values are to be given to the remaining nonzero parameters;at the H level, the procedure at the L level is performed over the different numbers of zero loadings, to provide the best solution. In the L level procedure, Kiers’ (1994) simplimax rotation fulfills a key role: the CFA solution under the constraint computationally specified by that rotation is used for initializing the parameters of a new FA procedure called simplimax FA. The task at the H level can be easily performed using information criteria. The usefulness of the proposed method is demonstrated numerically.

Evaluation of Radiation Exposure Literacy among Mammography Examinees Using Radiation Dose Distribution in Mammography Examinations

Introduction: Radiation is indispensable for diagnosis and treatment and is widely used in medicine. This study aimed to determine patients’ knowledge and ability to understand radiation exposure to assess the usefulness of providing information on radiation doses to examinees. Material and Methods: The radiation exposure literacy of mammography examinees was assessed using a new scale consisting of the following five items: “collection of information from various sources”, “selection of information necessary for oneself”, “understanding and communication of information”, “judgment of the reliability of information”, and “ability to plan and act based on information”. We analyzed the relationship of these items with examinees’ attributes and clarified the level of understanding of radiation exposure dose associated with mammography examinations by providing examinees with visual information in the form of color maps. Results: The relationship between “information collection” and several attributes of radiation exposure literacy was strong. In addition, providing visual information on radiation doses using dose distribution maps in mammography examinations could deepen the understanding of radiation doses among examinees. Conclusion: By understanding the radiation exposure literacy of examinees and comparing it with their attributes, it is possible to provide suggestions for developing methods of providing radiation dose information tailored to individual examinees. In addition, improving radiation exposure literacy will enable the development of skills necessary to provide safe medical care to medical examinees.

Validation Research on the Application of Depthwise Separable Convolutional Al Facial Expression Recognition in Non-pharmacological Treatment of BPSD

One of the most obvious clinical reasons of dementia or The Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia(BPSD)are the lack of emotional expression,the increased frequency of negative emotions,and the impermanence of emotions.Observing the reduction of BPSD in dementia through emotions can be considered effective and widely used in the field of non-pharmacological therapy.At present,this article will verify whether the image recognition artificial intelligence(AI)system can correctly reflect the emotional performance of the elderly with dementia through a questionnaire survey of three professional elderly nursing staff.The ANOVA(sig.=0.50)is used to determine that the judgment given by the nursing staff has no obvious deviation,and then Kendall's test(0.722**)and spearman's test(0.863**)are used to verify the judgment severity of the emotion recognition system and the nursing staff unanimously.This implies the usability of the tool.Additionally,it can be expected to be further applied in the research related to BPSD elderly emotion detection.

Impacts of different pancreatic resection ranges on endocrine function in Suncus murinus

BACKGROUND Surgical intervention involving the pancreas can lead to impaired glucose tolerance and other types of endocrine dysfunction.The scope of pancreatectomy and whether it includes the ventral pancreas are the key factors in the development of postoperative diabetes.The ventral and dorsal pancreases are almost separated in Suncus murinus(S.murinus).AIM To investigate the effects of different extents of pancreatic resection on endocrine function in S.murinus.METHODS Eight-week-old male S.murinus shrews were randomly divided into three experimental groups according to different pancreatic resection ranges as follows:ventral pancreatectomy(VPx)group;partial pancreatectomy(PPx)group;subtotal pancreatectomy(SPx)group;and a sham-operated group.Postprandial serum insulin,glucagon-like peptide-1(GLP-1),pancreatic polypeptide(PP),and somatostatin(SST)levels,as well as food intake,weight,blood glucose,and glucose tolerance were regularly measured for each animal.RESULTS S.murinus treated with PPx and SPx suffered from varying degrees of impaired glucose tolerance,but only a small proportion of the SPx group developed diabetes.Only S.murinus in the SPx group showed a significant decrease in food intake accompanied by severe weight loss,as well as a significant increase in postprandial serum GLP-1 levels.Postprandial serum PP levels decreased in both the VPx and PPx groups,but not in the SPx group.Postprandial serum SST levels decreased in both VPx and PPx groups,but the decrease was marginal.CONCLUSION Severe weight loss after pancreatectomy may be related to loss of appetite caused by compensatory elevation of GLP-1.PP and GLP-1 may play a role in resisting blood glucose imbalance.

Tamarix chinensis Lour inhibits chronic ethanol-induced liver injury in mice

BACKGROUND Tamarix chinensis Lour(TCL)is a shrub that usually grows in arid or semiarid desert areas and saline-alkali fields.It is a traditional Chinese herbal medicine with hepatoprotective,antioxidant,antibacterial,and antitumor activities.AIM To investigate the possible protective effects of TCL against liver injury induced by chronic ethanol intake.METHODS C57BL/6J male mice were fed a Lieber-DeCarli lipid diet containing alcohol and received(by gavage)a water-alcohol extract(80%)of TCL(100 and 200 mg/kg BW)or distilled water for 4 wk.After euthanasia,liver tissues were observed histologically with hematoxylin and eosin staining and Oil red O staining,and the levels of alanine aminotransferase,aspartate transaminase,hepatic lipids,reactive oxygen species,malondialdehyde,and superoxide dismutase were measured.In addition,expression of the NOD-like receptor family,pyrin domain-containing 3(NLRP3)inflammasome and downstream proinflammatory cytokines were determined.RESULTS Compared with the ethanol group,mice in the TCL-treated group(200 mg/kg)had significantly lower serum levels of alanine aminotransferase(mean,34.1 IU/L vs 45.3 IU/L,P<0.01)and aspartate transaminase(mean,89.6 IU/L vs 115.7 IU/L,P<0.01),as well as marked reduction of hepatic tissue reactive oxygen species(decreased by 27.5%,P<0.01)and malondialdehyde(decreased by 76.6%,P<0.01)levels,with a significant increase of superoxide dismutase(Increased by 73.2%,P<0.01).Expression of the NLRP3 inflammasome and its downstream cytokines[interleukin(IL)-1β,tumor necrosis factor-α,and IL-6],and recruitment of natural killer T cells to the liver,were reduced in the TCLtreated incubation with a Lieber-DeCaril ethanol lipid diet group.CONCLUSION These findings suggest that a TCL extract(200 mg/kg)protects against chronic ethanol-induced liver injury,probably by inhibiting the NLRP3-caspase-1-IL-1βsignaling pathway and suppressing oxidative stress.

Pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells: From basic research to applications

Basic research on pluripotent stem cells is designed to enhance understanding of embryogenesis, whereas applied research is designed to develop novel therapies and prevent diseases. Attainment of these goals has been enhanced by the establishment of embryonic stem cell lines, the technological development of genomic reprogramming to generate induced-pluripotent stem cells, and improvements in in vitro techniques to manipulate stem cells. This review summarizes the techniques required to generate neural cells from pluripotent stem cells. In particular, this review describes current research applications of a simple neural differentiation method, the neural stem sphere method, which we developed.

Cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders

AIM: To investigate executive function in Japanese adolescents and adults with autism spectrum disorders(ASD) compared to Japanese controls.METHODS: Thirty-three individuals with ASD and 33 controls participated. The ASD and control groups' demographic variables were matched for gender(male/female: 20/13 vs 20/13), age(26.1 ± 11.5 vs 26.8 ± 9.6), years of education(13.2 ± 2.9 vs 14.2 ± 1.9), full-scale intelligence quotient(IQ)(103.0 ± 16.7 vs 103.7 ± 14.7), performance IQ(96.2 ± 16.1 vs 97.8 ± 15.0), and verbal IQ(107.9 ± 16.3 vs 107.7 ± 14.4). Participants performed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test(WCST), which assesses the executive processes involved in problem solving and cognitive flexibility, and the Continuous Performance Test(CPT), which assesses attention and impulsivity. Symptoms were assessed by the Autism-Spectrum Quotient Japanese version(AQ-J). First, we compared the scores of the WCST between the groups using a Mann-Whitney U-test and conducted an analysis of covariance for the variables with the scores of category archives and CPT scores as covariates. Second, we analyzed the correlation between the scores of the WCST and the AQ-J in the ASD group using Pearson's r.RESULTS: The total errors(TE) and the percentages of perseverative errors of the Milner type(%PEM) and Nelson type(%PEN) among the TE in the ASD group were significantly worse compared with the control group(ASD vs Control, respectively: TE: 16.0 ± 6.2 vs 12.6 ± 3.5, P = 0.012; %PEM: 11.7 ± 10.7 vs 6.6 ± 8.9, P = 0.037; %PEN: 20.1 ± 14.5 vs 8.7 ± 10.4, P = 0.0011). In contrast, no significant difference was observed between the two groups in the scores of categories achieved on the WCST or the CPT. An analysis of covariance revealed significant differences between the groups in the %PEN scores(P = 0.0062) but not in the TE or the %PEM scores. These results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD have cognitive inflexibility. Furthermore, our results suggest that Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD may have difficulties using negative feedback because perseverative errors of the Nelson type indicate persistence in choosing the incorrect reaction. By contrast, there was no significant correlation between the WCST and AQ-J scores.CONCLUSION: We confirmed the presence of cognitive inflexibility in Japanese adolescents and adults with ASD. Our results also indicated that subjects with ASD may not use negative feedback effectively.