Improving Visualization of In-stent Lumen Using Prototype Photon-counting Detector Computed Tomography with High-resolution Plaque Kernel.

The study aimed to compare the performance of photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD CT) with high-resolution (HR)-plaque kernel with that of the energy-integrating detector CT (EID CT) in terms of the visualization of the lumen size and the in-stent stenotic portion at different coronary vessel angles. The lumen sizes in PCD CT and EID CT images were 2.13 and 1.

Effects of shorter activated coagulation time on hemorrhage during venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.

Background: Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) has been used for decades, but optimal anticoagulation control remains unknown. This study aimed to compare shorter target activated coagulation time (ACT) criteria with the usual target ACT criteria in terms of complications.

Methods: We retrospectively identified patients who received ECMO between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2018 in an acute tertiary care hospital.

How does error correction occur during lexical learning?

We examined two theories of the mechanisms that enable error correction via corrective feedback. One theory focuses on enhancing the encoding of corrective feedback (corrective feedback-encoding facilitation account). The other is the recursive reminding theory, which considers memory integration between an initial event with error generation and a subsequent event involving correct answer feedback.

Splenic injury caused by cardiopulmonary resuscitation in a full stomach with hematoma after hemorrhagic shock due to bleeding duodenal ulcer: A case report.

Background: Cardiopulmonary resuscitation is essential for cardiopulmonary arrest, but complications from chest compressions warrant monitoring. Although rib and sternal fractures are common, abdominal injuries are rare, and splenic injuries are much rarer.

Case Presentation: A 74-year-old man was admitted to the emergency room with a hemorrhagic duodenal ulcer.

Segmental arterial mediolysis with a ruptured visceral artery on two consecutive days.

Background: We describe a case of segmental arterial mediolysis in which a vessel ruptured on two consecutive days.

Case Presentation: A 69-year-old man presented with sudden-onset abdominal pain. Computed tomography showed a hematoma in the gastric wall.

Combined X-ray Reflectivity and Infrared Study of the Effect of Hydrogen Bonding of the OH Group on the Relaxation Behavior in Ultrathin Polyvinylphenol Films on SiO.

Utilizing X-ray reflectivity and infrared reflection absorption spectroscopy (IR-RAS), we have investigated the thermal expansion and contraction of ultrathin polyvinylphenol (PVPh) films supported on a silicon (100) substrate capped with an amorphous SiO layer. Despite being known to form strong interactions with the SiO surface, the thin PVPh films showed a reduction in the glass-transition point , similar to the behavior of polystyrene thin films deposited on SiO. We explored the relationship between thermal expansivity and film thickness using well-annealed films and found that it decreases with film thickness in the range below twice the radius of gyration of a polymer chain (2) in the glassy state.

Amatoxin poisoning caused by Galerina sulciceps, a species with no prior record of identification in Japan: a case report.

A 60-year-old man presented with acute gastroenteritis, hypovolemic shock, acute renal failure (BUN/Cr, 56.7/4.24 mg/dl), and aspiration pneumonia.

Short-Chain Mono-Alkyl β-D-Glucoside Crystals-Do They Form a Cubic Crystal Structure?

Three-dimensional liquid crystal (LC) phases, cubic LC phases, have been extensively studied as fascinating molecular assembled systems formed by amphiphilic compounds. However, similar structures have only been seen in rare instances in lipid crystal states in glycolipid crystal studies. In this study, we prepared short-chain n-alkyl β-D-glucosides (CnG) with an alkyl chain length ranging from 4 to 6 and investigated their crystal structures.

Physical properties of lactic acid bacteria influence the level of protection against influenza infection in mice.

We evaluated whether the water dispersibility of lactic acid bacteria (Enterococcus faecalis KH2) affects their efficacy. When cultured lactic acid bacteria are washed, heat-killed, and powdered, adhesion occurs between results in aggregation (non-treated lactic acid bacteria, n-LAB). However, dispersed lactic acid bacteria (d-LAB) with a lower number of aggregates can be prepared by treating them with a high-pressure homogenizer and adding an excipient during powdering.

Safety and efficacy of cold-water immersion in the treatment of older patients with heat stroke: a case series.

Background: Heat stroke treatment focuses on rapid cooling because symptom severity correlates with the duration of hyperthermia (i.e., time during which the core body temperature is sustained above the critical threshold).

Unveiling the Uniqueness of Crystal Structure and Crystalline Phase Behavior of Anhydrous Octyl -D-Glucoside Using Aligned Assembly on a Surface.

Although the anomalous low crystallinity of octyl -D-glucoside (-OGlu) was first proposed more than 30 years ago, many fundamental aspects of its crystal structure and of the crystalline phase behavior of the pure substance have remained uncertain. In this paper, we employ grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray-diffraction measurements using a two-dimensional detector (2D-GI-WAXD) and perpendicularly aligned crystalline films to demonstrate that -OGlu forms crystal structures consisting of an intermediate phase-like a ripple phase with two large crystal-lattice constants, and , comparable to the lengths of its bilayer structures. Furthermore, solid-to-solid phase transitions accompanied by latent heat confirm the existence of a solid-solution-like phase consisting of a crystalline and a liquid-crystal (LC) phase, which persists over a 20 °C temperature range, in a single-component system.

Tissue-adhesive wirelessly powered optoelectronic device for metronomic photodynamic cancer therapy.

Metronomic (that is, low-dose and long-term) photodynamic therapy (mPDT) for treating internal lesions requires the stable fixation of optical devices to internal tissue surfaces to enable continuous, local light delivery. Surgical suturing-the standard choice for device fixation-can be unsuitable in the presence of surrounding major nerves and blood vessels, as well as for organs or tissues that are fragile, change their shape or actively move. Here, we show that an implantable and wirelessly powered mPDT device consisting of near-field-communication-based light-emitting-diode chips and bioadhesive and stretchable polydopamine-modified poly(dimethylsiloxane) nanosheets can be stably fixed onto the inner surface of animal tissue.

Physicochemical characterization of 6-O-acyl trehalose fatty acid monoesters in desiccated system.

The understanding of the basic physicochemical properties of trehalose lipid is indispensable to extending their availability. In this study, the hydrate crystal (Cr), the liquid crystalline (LC) phase and the glassy state formations of 6-O-acyl trehalose fatty acid monoester (TREn) were examined under in a desiccated system. TREn (n = 10, 12, 14, 16) formed monohydrate Cr and showed the hydrate Cr-glassy fluid lamellar LC (Lα) phase transition via dehydration in the heating process.

Effect of Freeze-Thaw Treatment on the Precipitation of Octyl β-D-Galactoside Hemihydrate Crystal from the Aqueous Solution.

Cryogenic treatment, like the freeze-thaw process, has been reported to be effective in modifying the physicochemical properties of polymeric hydrogels. However, not much attention has been paid to this process in terms of the precipitation of surfactant-water systems. In this study, two effective cryogenic methodologies were successfully reported to alter the physicochemical properties of a precipitate of an octyl β-D-galactoside (Oct-Gal)-water system.

Development of Ca2+-release mechanisms during oocyte maturation of the starfish Asterina pectinifera.

An important step for successful fertilization and further development is the increase in intracellular Ca2+ in the activated oocyte. It has been known that starfish oocytes become increasingly sensitive to inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) during meiotic maturation to exhibit highly efficient IP3-induced Ca2+ release (IICR) by the time of germinal vesicle breakdown (GVBD). However, we noted that the peak level of intracellular Ca2+ increase after insemination is already high in the maturing oocytes before GVBD.

Structural Insights into Solid-to-Solid Phase Transition and Modulated Crystal Formation in Octyl-β-d-Galactoside Crystals.

Despite the significance of synthetic monotailed β-linked galactolipids, for a detailed understanding of natural galactolipids, many aspects of these β-linked galactolipids' crystal structures such as temperature-dependence and hydration characteristics remain inadequately understood. In this manuscript, we demonstrated detailed insight of crystal characteristics of one of the simplest monotailed galactolipids, octyl-β-d-galactoside (MOβ-Gal), using thermal analyses, Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), powder X-ray diffraction (PXRD) measurements and grazing-incidence wide-angle X-ray diffraction (GI-WAXD) analysis. As a result, it was revealed that the MOβ-Gal anhydrous crystal showed a continuous structural change from the high-symmetry structure to low-symmetry crystal lattice via the strengthened hydrogen bonding interaction as the temperature decreased.

Oligosaccharide-based Surfactant/Citric Acid Buffer System Stabilizes Lactate Dehydrogenase during Freeze-drying and Storage without the Addition of Natural Sugar.

Experiments were conducted to assess the maintenance effects of oligosaccharide-based surfactants on the enzymatic activity of a model protein, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), during freeze-drying and room temperature storage using the citric acid buffer system. Oligosaccharide-based surfactants, which exhibit a high glass transition temperature (Tg), promoted the eminent retention of enzymatic activity during these protocols, whereas monosaccharide-based surfactants with a low Tg displayed poor performance at high concentration, albeit much better than that of Tween 80 at middle concentration. The increase in the alkyl chain length did not exert positive effects as observed for the maintenance effect during freeze-thawing, but an amphiphilic nature and a glass forming ability were crucial for the effective stabilization at a low excipient concentration during freeze-drying.

Prevalence of Type A Acute Aortic Dissection in Patients With Out-Of-Hospital Cardiopulmonary Arrest.

Postmortem computed tomography (PMCT) has been recently reported to be useful for detecting causes of death in the emergency department. In this study, the incidence and causes of death of type A acute aortic dissection (AAD) were investigated in patients who experienced out-of-hospital cardiopulmonary arrest (OHCPA) using PMCT. PMCT or enhanced computed tomography was performed in 311 of 528 consecutive patients experiencing OHCPA.

Catalytic Enantioselective Synthesis of N-C Axially Chiral Phenanthridin-6-one Derivatives.

N-C axially chiral phenanthridin-6-one derivatives bearing various ortho-substituted phenyl groups on the nitrogen atom were enantioselectively prepared through (R)-DTBM-SEGPHOS-Pd(OAc)2-catalyzed intramolecular Buchwald-Hartwig amination. The enantioselectivity strongly depended on solvents, bases, and reaction temperature as well as on the bulkiness of ortho-substituents.

Management of apple orchards to conserve generalist phytoseiid mites suppresses two-spotted spider mite, Tetranychus urticae (Acari: Tetranychidae).

To improve the success of integrated pest management (IPM) in apple orchards, we investigated whether generalist phytoseiid mites have suppressed the occurrence of Tetranychus urticae. In Akita Prefecture, northern Japan, in 2012 and 2013, two types of experimental plot were compared. Conservation plots had been managed for the conservation of generalist phytoseiid mites by selective chemical spraying without mowing since 2009.

Structure evolution of poly(3-hexylthiophene) on Si wafer and poly(vinylphenol) sublayer.

The structure evolution of P3HT thin films on Si wafer and PVPh covered Si wafer during heating, thermal annealing, and melt recrystallization processes has been studied in detail using X-ray analysis techniques. The effect of substrate on the crystallization behavior and interface structure of P3HT films was explored. For the P3HT films deposited on the Si substrate, it was found that the stability of P3HT crystals is orientation dependent.

Hemostasis during the early stages of trauma: comparison with disseminated intravascular coagulation.

Introduction: We tested two hypotheses that disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) and acute coagulopathy of trauma-shock (ACOTS) in the early phase of trauma are similar disease entities and that the DIC score on admission can be used to predict the prognosis of patients with coagulopathy of trauma.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study of 562 trauma patients, including 338 patients whose data were obtained immediately after admission to the emergency department. We collected serial data for the platelet counts, global markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis, and antithrombin levels.

Controlling X-ray beam trajectory with a flexible hollow glass fibre.

A metre-length flexible hollow glass fibre with 20 µm-bore and 1.5 mm-cladding diameters for transporting a synchrotron X-ray beam and controlling the trajectory has been examined. The large cladding diameter maintains a moderate curvature to satisfy the shallow glancing angle of total reflection.

Confinement effects on glass transition temperature, transition breadth, and linear expansivity: an ultraslow X-ray reflectivity study on supported ultrathin polystyrene films.

X-ray reflectivity measurements of the glass transition in thin polystyrene films supported on Si substrates were performed at slow cooling rates ranging from 0.62 to 0.01 (°)C/min.