A female patient in her 50s who underwent chemotherapy for left primary breast cancer presented with cancerous pleurisy and disseminated intravascular coagulation. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy and liver biopsy revealed gastric and liver cancer. Distinguishing between primary and metastatic cancer by pathological findings is difficult using hematoxylin and eosin staining.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMembrane vesicles (MVs) are small spherical structures (20-400 nm) produced by most bacteria and have important biological functions including toxin delivery, signal transfer, biofilm formation, and immunomodulation of the host. Although MV formation is enhanced in biofilms of a wide range of bacterial species, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. An opportunistic pathogen, , causes chronic infections that can be difficult to treat due to biofilm formation.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Breast milk, nature's optimum source of nutrition for infants, can contain undesirable microorganisms that cause severe morbidity. After an outbreak of multidrug-resistant Escherichia coli among neonates receiving breast milk donated by another mother in our neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), we were motivated to develop a high-grade breast milk pasteurizer (BMP) designed to thaw and pasteurize breast milk at 63°C for 30 min in a sealed bag without having to open the bag or immerse it in water.
Methods: Pre-existing bacteria and spiked cytomegalovirus (CMV) were measured pre- and post-pasteurization in frozen breast milk donated by mothers of children admitted to the NICU.
Background And Aims: Although long-term stent placement using endoscopic transpapillary gallbladder drainage (ETGBD) and EUS-guided gallbladder drainage (EUS-GBD) reportedly reduces cholecystitis recurrence, comparative evidence of their safety and efficacy is scarce. This study aimed to examine and compare the long-term utility of EUS-GBD versus that of ETGBD in poor surgical candidates.
Methods: A total of 379 high-risk surgical patients with acute calculous cholecystitis met the eligibility criteria for enrollment in this study.
A female patient in her 60s, treated with oral corticosteroids for scleroderma diagnosed 11 years ago, visited our hospital complaining of a persistent fever and liver dysfunction. She was treated with antibiotics, but her fever continued. Abdominal ultrasonography revealed multiple hypoechoic splenic masses.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Zinc and copper are trace elements, but their reference values during the neonatal and infant periods are not clear. We aimed to determine the trend of serum zinc levels in infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit and compare serum zinc and serum copper levels at admission between small-for-gestational-age (SGA) and non-SGA infants.
Methods: From 406 patients admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit from January 2009 to September 2012, 339 patients were included in this retrospective study.
Background: Although long-term stent placement using endoscopic gallbladder stenting (EGBS) reportedly reduces cholecystitis recurrence in patients unfit to undergo cholecystectomy, its efficacy and safety remain uncertain.
Aims: This study aimed to examine the long-term effect of EGBS in poor surgical candidates of cholecystectomy.
Methods: A total of 528 high-risk surgical patients with acute calculous cholecystitis met this study's eligibility criteria.
This paper presents an airflow vector sensor for drones. Drones are expected to play a role in various industrial fields. However, the further improvement of flight stability is a significant issue.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAs the wireless world moves towards the sixth generation (6G) era, the demand of supporting bandwidth-hungry applications in ultra-dense deployments becomes more and more imperative. Driven by this requirement, both the research and development communities have turned their attention into the terahertz (THz) band, where more than [Formula: see text] of contiguous bandwidth can be exploited. As a result, novel wireless system and network architectures have been reported promising excellence in terms of reliability, massive connectivity, and data-rates.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNihon Shokakibyo Gakkai Zasshi
March 2021
A 38-year-old man visited our hospital with a complaint of diarrhea and abdominal pain. Contrast-enhanced computed tomography showed that the ileocecal site was intussuscepted to the transverse colon without ischemia. After we reduced intussusception with an enema using a water-soluble contrast agent, his abdominal pain disappeared.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aim: Two methods of transpapillary covered self-expandable metal stent (SEMS) placement are used for distal malignant biliary obstruction (MBO): after initial drainage by plastic stent (two-step method) and without previous drainage (one-step method).
Methods: In total, 90 patients with unresectable pancreatic cancer and distal MBO were enrolled in this prospective multicenter randomized study and allocated to one-step (n = 45) and two-step (n = 45) groups. The main outcome was the time to recurrent biliary obstruction (TRBO).
Background: The recent development of ultra-thin delivery systems, which enable simultaneous insertion of two metal stents, has encouraged wider adoption of side-by-side (SBS) stent placement for malignant hilar biliary obstruction (MHBO). However, the management of stent occlusion after SBS placement has not been well-characterized. This study aimed to examine the outcomes of endoscopic reintervention (E-RI) after SBS placement in patients with MHBO.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: We hypothesized that gallbladder (GB) volume is affected by serial changes during the early infancy period in extremely premature infants.
Methods: We conducted a prospective study of extremely premature infants admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of Fukushima Medical University Hospital, Fukushima City, Japan between January 2014 and December 2015. GB volume was measured by an abdominal ultrasound ellipsoid method between Day 0 and Day 56 after birth within 60 minutes before enteral feeding.
We investigated the relationship of neonatal and maternal serum creatinine (nSCr and mSCr, respectively) with various maternal/infant characteristics at different gestational ages (GA). We reviewed medical records of neonates admitted to NICU. We collected data on birth weight, GA, Apgar scores, medications, etc.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA microbioreactor immobilized with a synthase-type mutant enzyme, Endo-M-N175Q (glycosynthase) of endo-β-N-acetylglucosaminidase derived from Mucor hiemalis (Endo-M), was constructed and used for glycoconjugate synthesis. The transglycosylation was performed with a reaction mixture containing an oxazoline derivative of sialo complex-type glycoside (SG), which was prepared from a sialo complex-type glycopeptide SGP derived from hen egg yolk, as a glycosyl donor and N-Fmoc-N-acetylglucosaminyl-l-asparagine [Fmoc-Asn(GlcNAc)-OH] as an acceptor. The reaction mixture was injected into a glycosynthase microbioreactor at a constant flow rate.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFParainfluenza virus (PIV) is a respiratory pathogen in young children and is second only to the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) as a cause of lower respiratory tract infection. PIV type 3 (PIV3) is the most severe. Herein we describe an outbreak of PIV3 in three infants in a neonatal intensive care unit.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWolf-Hirschhorn syndrome (WHS), which is characterized by a typical facial appearance, growth retardation, mental retardation, seizures, and congenital cardiac defects, has an estimated incidence of 1 per 50,000 births. We report a case of a low birth weight neonate with WHS and seizures, as well as persistent pulmonary hypertension in the early neonatal period. Apgar scores were 6 (1 minute) and 8 (5 minutes) with evident retraction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Diverticular bleeding is the most common cause of acute lower gastrointestinal bleeding, and its incidence has recently increased. However, the treatment strategy of diverticular bleeding has not yet been established. The aim of the study was to investigate the efficacy of contrast-enhanced computed tomography (CECT) to determine the indication for urgent colonoscopy to achieve hemostasis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFStatistical channel models for 60 GHz communications systems in hospital environments are validated using channel capacity and throughput of a physical layer as figures of merit. The channel models are validated by comparing the performance figures with channels from the measurements and the channel models. The throughput evaluation is based on system specifications given by the IEEE 802.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPolymer gel dosimetry has been considered a promising technique for clinical use, but this potential has not yet been fully realized in Japan. One reason may be because the commercialized gel detector, BANG gel, is expensive and it is only produced abroad. A second reason is the difficulty of controlling dose sensitivity of the gel so that it is stable under ordinary clinical conditions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSimilar to conventional electrolyte batteries, biofuel cells often need to be stacked in order to boost their single cell voltage (<1 V) up to a practical level. Here, we report a laminated stack of biofuel cells that is composed of bioanode fabrics for fructose oxidation, hydrogel sheets containing electrolyte and fuel (fructose), and O(2)-diffusion biocathode fabrics. The anode and cathode fabrics were prepared by modifying fructose dehydrogenase and bilirubin oxidase, respectively, on carbon nanotubes-decorated carbon fiber fabrics.
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