Publications by authors named "Hiroi S"
All-solid-state (ASS) batteries are a promising solution to achieve carbon neutrality. ASS lithium-sulfur (Li-S) batteries stand out due to their improved safety, achieved by replacing organic solvents, which are prone to leakage and fire, with solid electrolytes. In addition, these batteries offer the benefits of higher capacity and the absence of rare metals.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA 20-year-old male patient with ulcerative proctitis presented with a fever and chest pain. He was diagnosed with rubella-associated myopericarditis due to pericardial rub, elevated troponin I, ST elevation, and positive rubella-immunoglobulin M. The patient subsequently developed cardiac tamponade but responded well to pericardial drainage and antiinflammatory therapy.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCardiac calcified amorphous tumor in a patient with lung cancer.
Gen Thorac Cardiovasc Surg Cases
August 2024
Article Synopsis
- Calcified amorphous tumors of the heart are rare, non-cancerous masses made up of calcified nodules and fibrous tissue, often linked to conditions like mitral annular calcification, especially in patients with kidney issues.
- A case study of a 77-year-old woman with lung cancer revealed a tumor in her heart, which was surgically removed and identified as a calcified amorphous tumor, despite her normal kidney function.
- The findings imply that there may be a connection between calcified amorphous tumors and cancer, potentially due to alterations in blood coagulation from the malignancy.
Article Synopsis
- - Ni/Co-free positive electrode materials for Li-ion batteries are crucial for sustainable production and reducing environmental impact.
- - A study focuses on synthesizing nanostructured LiMnO that achieves high energy density and improved cycling performance, using mechanical milling and a simpler alternative method without the need for unstable precursors.
- - The research also demonstrates enhanced cyclability of LiMnO through a concentrated electrolyte and lithium phosphate coating, aiming for practical, low-cost rechargeable batteries made from manganese, a more sustainable resource.
Objective: To investigate the opioid prescription status around clinical events among patients with breast cancer in Japan using a comprehensive claims database.
Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study using the National Database (April 2009-March 2020). The target patients had a first breast cancer diagnosis in April 2010 or later.
Background: Homologous recombination deficiency (HRD) is one of the crucial hallmarks of cancer. It is associated with a favorable response to platinum-based chemotherapy. We explored the distinctive clinicopathological features of gastric cancer (GC) with HRD and the clinical significance of HRD in platinum-based first-line chemotherapy for unresectable metastatic GC.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- * PCF cases in Osaka dropped significantly from 2020 to 2022, but there was a notable rise in cases in 2023, with HAdV-B3 becoming the most frequently detected type.
- * Genetic analysis revealed new variants of HAdV-B3 were circulating in 2023, suggesting that children became more susceptible to the virus due to a lack of exposure during the previous years of the pandemic.
Objectives: Opioid availability for the palliative care of patients with advanced cancer is increasing globally. However, opioid availability remains extremely low in Japan. We investigated whether pain is appropriately controlled by low-dose opioid prescriptions in patients with advanced cancer in Japan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNeoadjuvant chemotherapy(NAC)is prescribed for resectable esophagogastric junctional cancer on the basis of esophageal invasion length, lymph node metastasis, and pathological diagnosis. Due to a lack of consensus in Japan, however, discussion regarding its use is necessary. This study comprised 6 patients who underwent surgical resection after receiving NAC in our department from 2018 to 2022.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- The study investigated the connection between inactivated influenza vaccination and viral load in children under 6 in Japan over several flu seasons.
- Researchers analyzed 1,185 influenza-positive children and found that the viral loads did not significantly differ based on vaccination status, with median values around 5.5 for all groups.
- Key factors impacting viral load included specific influenza subtypes and children's temperature, indicating that vaccination status did not play a role in viral load differences.
Article Synopsis
- - Sulfide glasses, particularly LiPS, can have high ionic conductivity due to crystallization during annealing, with bromine (Br) addition enhancing this property and mimicking the structure of LiGePS.
- - A structural transition to the β-phase can decrease ionic conductivity, indicating the importance of maintaining the right structural form for optimal performance.
- - Our study used advanced X-ray diffraction and bond valence sum methods to show that adding Br helps create pathways for Li ion conduction, suggesting that controlling anion structures can improve Li-ion conductivity in these materials.
PPAR/PDK4 pathway is involved in the anticancer effects of cGMP in pancreatic cancer.
Biochem Biophys Res Commun
September 2023
Article Synopsis
- Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is a highly lethal cancer with issues such as side effects from treatments and drug resistance in cancer stem cells (CSCs).
- The study suggests that cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) can reduce mitochondrial function in PDACs and impair CSC characteristics through energy-related pathways.
- Results indicated that cGMP increases the PPARα/PDK4 pathway, leading to better outcomes for patients with high PDK4 gene expression, presenting potential new targets for treating pancreatic CSCs.
Article Synopsis
- The study aimed to explore the preferences of the Japanese public regarding government policies to manage infectious disease outbreaks.
- A survey, using conjoint analysis with 2,185 respondents, found that accessibility to therapeutic drugs, tests, and vaccines was highly valued, with drug accessibility having the highest estimated monetary value of JPY 10.5 trillion.
- The findings indicated a clear preference for accessibility of medical resources over behavioral or entry restrictions during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, although the sample may not fully represent the broader population.
Introduction: During the recent coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, preferences for factors associated with vaccines have been evaluated. Three oral antiviral drugs have been approved in Japan for patients with mild-to-moderate I COVID-19 symptoms. Although preferences for the drugs may also depend on various factors, these have not been fully evaluated.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPurpose: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among Japanese women and often yields a better prognosis than other cancers. However, few studies have been conducted on pain control using opioids in Japan. In this study, we aimed to examine actual opioid use among breast cancer patients.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- A study in Osaka, Japan tested vaccine-induced neutralizing antibodies against various SARS-CoV-2 variants in serum samples from 32 individuals who received two doses and 10 who received a third dose of vaccine.
- The results showed that the geometric mean titres (GMTs) for key variants after the second dose were significantly lower for the Delta and Omicron BA.1 compared to the D614G strain and Alpha variant.
- After the third dose, GMTs for Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 increased significantly, suggesting that the third dose enhances the antibody response against these variants, providing valuable data for future evaluations of vaccine efficacy against emerging strains.
Article Synopsis
- The dynamic structure factor S(Q,E) of liquid EuGaGe (EGG) was measured through inelastic x-ray scattering, revealing similarities in local structure with liquid BaGaSn (BGS) based on similar excitation energies.
- The study found that the longitudinal acoustic mode in EGG disperses faster in its liquid state than in the solid, indicating that interatomic forces weaken when melting occurs.
- Lower energy excitations were detected in both liquids, with findings suggesting that these are related to the motion between Eu and (Ga, Ge) atoms, as compared to the longitudinal phonon dispersion in solid EGG from computational models.
Delivering inherently stable lithium-ion batteries is a key challenge. Electrochemical lithium insertion and extraction often severely alters the electrode crystal chemistry, and this contributes to degradation with electrochemical cycling. Moreover, electrodes do not act in isolation, and this can be difficult to manage, especially in all-solid-state batteries.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Treatment for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) has changed over the past decades. Understanding the actual status of IPF treatment and evaluating the consistency of the guidelines are important for improving the treatment strategy. However, the relevant information is insufficient in Japan.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground/aim: We previously reported three items that preoperatively predicted complicated appendicitis (body temperature, C-reactive protein, and fluid retention around the appendix). In this study, we aimed to compare other predictors to confirm the usefulness of our predictors with those of previous reports on the items as predictors of complicated appendicitis preoperatively (criteria A which consist of 8 items, criteria B which consist of 7 items).
Patients And Methods: We retrospectively evaluated 417 adult patients who underwent surgery for acute appendicitis between January 2013 and December 2019 and compared our items with criteria A and criteria B according to the results of the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), homogeneity, discriminatory ability, and Akaike information criterion (AIC).
Background: Acute exacerbation is an essential prognostic factor in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) and is the leading cause of death in Japanese patients with IPF. Its epidemiology, treatment status, and effect on IPF progression have been insufficiently investigated. We examined the incidence of acute exacerbation and treatment status before and after the onset of acute exacerbation in Japanese patients with IPF to provide basic information for treatment strategies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFArticle Synopsis
- - Intensive research is focusing on improving lithium-ion batteries (LIBs) by exploring Li-rich layered oxides (LLO) as potential positive electrode materials, although they haven't been practically implemented yet.
- - The structural complexity of LLOs, particularly their disordered phases, complicates understanding how they achieve higher capacity compared to traditional materials.
- - X-ray total scattering analysis reveals a unique structure in LLOs with adaptable metal ions acting as "pillars," which facilitate lithium ion movement and contribute to the materials' superior capacity, offering insights for future LIB electrode design.
Article Synopsis
- Researchers have identified bimodal behavior in the arrangement of silicon's second shell in SiO glass under pressure, which aligns with theoretical studies on SiO liquid at high temperatures.
- At low pressures, SiO glass maintains a tetrahedral structure with clear separation between the first and second silicon shells, similar to the structure in SiO liquid.
- However, at high pressures, the second shell collapses into the first shell, leading to a disruption of the local tetrahedral symmetry observed in both SiO glass and liquid.