Positive association between patient experience of primary care with chronic disease and self-rated health in a Japanese rural area: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey using the Japanese primary care assessment tool short form.

Background: Low birthrates and an aging society during population decline have brought about labor shortages and increased medical care needs. Medical resources should be distributed appropriately, particularly in rural areas. High-quality primary care can make the medical system more effective and contribute to rural residents' health.

Negative association between loneliness and healthy state among rural residents in Japan: a cross-sectional single region population-based survey.

Loneliness is an important health problem in rural areas of Japan because of its ageing and declining population. Therefore, we investigated the association between loneliness and health. Self-administered questionnaires were distributed to rural adult residents.

Nitrogen Gas Field Ion Source (GFIS) Focused Ion Beam (FIB) Secondary Electron Imaging: A First Look.

The recent technological advance of the gas field ion source (GFIS) and its successful integration into systems has renewed the interest in the focused ion beam (FIB) technology. Due to the atomically small source size and the use of light ions, the limitations of the liquid metal ion source are solved as device dimensions are pushed further towards the single-digit nanometer size. Helium and neon ions are the most widely used, but a large portfolio of available ion species is desirable, to allow a wide range of applications.

Post-thinning technique for a lifted-out membrane.

A novel technique for post-thinning of lifted-out membranes already mounted on a mesh was developed using a Ga(+) ion beam at an accelerating voltage of 5 kV. It was applied to the preparation of transmission electron microscopy specimens from a selected cell of a silicon dynamic random-access memory.

Alterations of load-induced p38 MAP kinase activation in failing rat hearts.

Hemodynamic load-induced cardiac p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) activation was studied in normotensive control Dahl rats (n = 10) and hypertensive Dahl rats with heart failure (n = 16). The isolated heart from each animal was stretched on a Langendorff apparatus at an equivalent diastolic wall stress, and the p38-MAPK activity of the left ventricular (LV) myocardium was analyzed by immunoprecipitation-kinase assay. Compared to the control hearts, the stretch-induced p38-MAPK activities were significantly decreased, and inversely correlated with the LV diameter (r = -0.