Impact of hypnotics use on daytime function and factors associated with usage by female shift work nurses.

Objective: We investigated quality of life (QOL) and work performance of hypnotics users, and explored the factors associated with multiple hypnotics usage in shift work nurses.

Methods: We conducted a questionnaire-based, cross-sectional survey on nurses in university hospitals. We analyzed responses from 1202 nurses; 997 were female shift work nurses (82.

Characteristics of human CD34+ cells exposed to ionizing radiation under cytokine-free conditions.

To clarify the mechanisms underlying radiation-induced hematopoietic stem cell death, we investigated the effects of excessive ionizing radiation on the clonogenic potential of CD34(+) cells obtained from human umbilical cord blood under cytokine-free conditions. The CD34(+) cells were X-ray-irradiated (up to 2 Gy) and were cultured for 0-48 h under cytokine-free conditions. At various time-points, the CD34(+) cells were investigated for survival, clonogenic potential and the generation of mitochondrial superoxide.

Reconstitution of biosynthetic machinery for the synthesis of the highly elaborated indole diterpene penitrem.

Penitrem A is one of the most elaborated members of the fungal indole diterpenes. Two separate penitrem gene clusters were identified using genomic and RNA sequencing data, and 13 out of 17 transformations in the penitrem biosynthesis were elucidated by heterologous reconstitution of the relevant genes. These reactions involve 1) a prenylation-initiated cationic cyclization to install the bicyclo[3.

A novel split liver protocol using the subnormothermic oxygenated circuit system in a porcine model of a marginal donor procedure.

Background: A merit of subnormothermic perfusion has been reported to preserve grafts from ischemic injury in animal models. The split liver technique is commonly performed to solve the shortage of liver grafts. However, there has been no study showing the effect of a split liver graft on subnormothermic perfusion.

Sleep Blood Pressure Self-Measured at Home as a Novel Determinant of Organ Damage: Japan Morning Surge Home Blood Pressure (J-HOP) Study.

To study whether sleep blood pressure (BP) self-measured at home is associated with organ damage, the authors analyzed the data of 2562 participants in the J-HOP study who self-measured sleep BP using a home BP monitoring (HBPM) device, three times during sleep (2 am, 3 am, 4 am), as well as the home morning and evening BPs. The mean sleep home systolic BPs (SBPs) were all correlated with urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR), left ventricular mass index (LVMI), brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), maximum carotid intima-media thickness, and plasma N-terminal pro-hormone pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide (NTproBNP) (all P<.001).

Age-related Decrease of Sirtuin 2 Protein in Human Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells.

Sirtuin 2, which is mainly present in cytoplasm, plays an important role in mammalian development, caloric restriction, metabolic regulation cellular antioxidant potential and the regulation of aging. We found that the protein level of sirtuin 2 in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) decreases with an advance in donor age in men and women. Our data suggest that sirtuin 2 level in PBMCs decreases with age in both men and women and may have a potential as a useful biomarker monitoring health conditions and aging.

Increase Trend in Home Blood Pressure on a Single Occasion Is Associated With B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and the Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate.

Background: Although obtaining multiple home blood pressure (HBP) measurements on a single occasion was recommended in European and Japanese hypertension guidelines, the clinical implications of the differences in BP measurements on a single occasion have been uncertain.

Methods: Here, 4,149 patients with cardiovascular risk factors were enrolled. We asked the patients to measure their HBP 3 times on a single occasion each day over a 2-week period.

Early-life stress induces anxiety-like behaviors and activity imbalances in the medial prefrontal cortex and amygdala in adult rats.

Early-life stress increases the prevalence of psychiatric diseases associated with emotional dysregulation. Emotional regulation requires the inhibitory influence of the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) on amygdalar activity, and dysfunction of this system is believed to induce anxiety. Because mPFC and amygdala have dense reciprocal connections and projections between them continue to develop until adolescence, early-life stress may impair the function of this circuit and cause emotional dysregulation.

Correlation of Central Blood Pressure to Hypertensive Target Organ Damages During Antihypertensive Treatment: The J-TOP Study.

Background: Some previous studies have shown that central blood pressure (BP) is more closely related to cardiovascular risks than brachial BP. This study compared the correlations between asymptomatic organ damages and each of central BP, brachial clinic BP, and home BP during antihypertensive treatment.

Methods: In the Japan Morning Surge-Target Organ Protection (J-TOP) study, which compared bedtime or awakening dosing of candesartan (+diuretics as needed) among subjects with home systolic BP (SBP) higher than 135 mm Hg, we evaluated 180 hypertensive patients who successfully underwent pulse wave analysis by HEM-9000AI and measured their urinary albumin/creatinine ratio (UACR) and left ventricular mass index (LVMI) (n = 144) at baseline and after 6 months of treatment.

Prolonged corrected QT interval is predictive of future stroke events even in subjects without ECG-diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy.

We attempted to evaluate whether subjects who exhibit prolonged corrected QT (QTc) interval (≥440 ms in men and ≥460 ms in women) on ECG, with and without ECG-diagnosed left ventricular hypertrophy (ECG-LVH; Cornell product, ≥244 mV×ms), are at increased risk of stroke. Among the 10 643 subjects, there were a total of 375 stroke events during the follow-up period (128.7±28.

Characteristic neuroradiologic features in hemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome.

Hemorrhagic shock and encephalopathy syndrome is a devastating disease, but the pathogenesis remains unclear. The aim of this study was to examine the usefulness of neuroimaging in establishing a diagnosis and elucidating the pathogenesis. We analyzed the neuroradiologic features of 22 patients who fulfilled the Levin criteria.

A peptide ligase and the ribosome cooperate to synthesize the peptide pheganomycin.

Peptide antibiotics are typically biosynthesized by one of two distinct machineries in a ribosome-dependent or ribosome-independent manner. Pheganomycin (PGM (1)) and related analogs consist of the nonproteinogenic amino acid (S)-2-(3,5-dihydroxy-4-hydroxymethyl)phenyl-2-guanidinoacetic acid (2) and a proteinogenic core peptide, making their origin uncertain. We report the identification of the biosynthetic gene cluster from Streptomyces cirratus responsible for PGM production.

Draft Genome Sequence of Rhodococcus erythropolis JCM 6824, an Aurachin RE Antibiotic Producer.

Rhodococcus erythropolis JCM 6824 is the producer of the quinoline antibiotic aurachin RE. This bacterium also degrades and utilizes some aromatic compounds, such as biphenyl and benzoate. Here, we report the draft genome sequence of this strain.

Theoretical model of the effect of potassium on the uptake of radiocesium by rice.

After the accident at the Fukushima Dai-ichi Nuclear Power Plant owned by Tokyo Electric Power Company on 11 March 2011, potassium was applied to fields in the Tohoku and Kanto areas of Japan to reduce radiocesium uptake by crops. Despite the intense studies relating to the effect of potassium application on availability of radiocesium in the soil, physiological changes of radiocesium uptake by crops in response to K(+) concentration around roots remains elusive. In the present study, we developed physiological models describing the effect of K(+) on the uptake of radiocesium by rice.

[Alpha blocker x beta-blocker].

To control blood pressure for throughout a day, one of antihypertensive drugs will be administered at bedtime. Calcium channel blocker or angiotensin II receptor blocker will be the first line drug for bedtime administration. Alpha-blocker or beta-blocker will be the last choice.

Effect of graft sources on allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation outcome in adults with chronic myeloid leukemia in the era of tyrosine kinase inhibitors: a Japanese Society of Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation retrospective analysis.

We retrospectively compared transplant outcomes for related bone marrow transplantation (rBMT), related peripheral blood stem cell transplantation (rPBSCT), unrelated bone marrow transplantation (uBMT), and unrelated cord blood transplantation (CBT) in 1,062 patients with chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) aged 20 years or over between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2009 in Japan. The disease status was as follows: chronic phase 1 (CP1, n = 531), CP 2 or later including accelerated phase (CP2-AP, n = 342) and blastic crisis (BC, n = 189). Graft sources (GS) were rBMT (n = 205), uBMT (n = 507), rPBSCT (n = 226) or CBT (n = 124).

Relationships between the QTc interval and cardiovascular, stroke, or sudden cardiac mortality in the general Japanese population.

Background: We attempted to evaluate whether the relationship between the QTc interval and mortality (including sudden cardiac death) is linear or J-shaped in the general Japanese population, who tend to be at greater risk of strokes than cardiac events.

Methods: We classified 10,804 subjects according to their Bazett QTc interval quartiles (determined by electrocardiography) at the baseline and followed them up for a mean period of 141.9±28.

A methyltransferase initiates terpene cyclization in teleocidin B biosynthesis.

Teleocidin B is an indole terpenoid isolated from Streptomyces. Due to its unique chemical structure and ability to activate protein kinase C, it has attracted interest in the areas of organic chemistry and cell biology. Here, we report the identification of genes encoding enzymes for teleocidin B biosynthesis, including nonribosomal peptide synthetase (tleA), P-450 monooxygenase (tleB), prenyltransferase (tleC), and methyltransferase (tleD).

Association of high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T and N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide with left ventricular structure: J-HOP study.

Although both high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (Hs-cTnT) and N-terminal pro-brain-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) levels are higher among patients with cardiac structural abnormalities than among those with apparently normal hearts, there is considerable overlap between the groups. The authors evaluated 1336 patients who had ≥1 cardiovascular risk factors, underwent echocardiography, and had Hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP measured and excluded patients with left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. The patients in the highest Hs-cTnT category in quintiles had an increased likelihood of abnormal relative wall thickness compared with those in the lowest category (odds ratio, 1.

Quantum criticality in a metallic spin liquid.

When magnetic order is suppressed by frustrated interactions, spins form a highly correlated fluctuating 'spin liquid' state down to low temperatures. The magnetic order of local moments can also be suppressed when they are fully screened by conduction electrons through the Kondo effect. Thus, the combination of strong geometrical frustration and Kondo screening may lead to novel types of quantum phase transition.

Synthesis and anticancer properties of phenyl benzoate derivatives possessing a terminal hydroxyl group.

To assess the cytotoxic effects on A549 human lung cancer cells, we investigated a liquid-crystalline compound possessing a terminal hydroxyl group at concentrations of 0.1-20 μM. The compound, 4-butylphenyl 4-(6-hydroxyhexyloxy)benzoate (2), showed marked cell-growth inhibition at concentrations higher than 5 μM.

Emittance of compact microwave ion source for low energy application.

The emittance of the compact microwave ion source for low energy application was investigated. The source structure was slightly modified from the previously reported version. The extraction apertures of 3 mm and 4 mm were used to evaluate the emittance.

Hyperlocomotor activity and stress vulnerability during adulthood induced by social isolation after early weaning are prevented by voluntary running exercise before normal weaning period.

In rodents, the disruption of social-rearing conditions before normal weaning induces emotional behavioral abnormalities, such as anxiety, motor activity dysregulation, and stress vulnerability. The beneficial effects of exercise after normal weaning on emotional regulation have been well documented. However, effects of exercise before normal weaning on emotion have not been reported.

4-Methylcatechol prevents derangements of brain-derived neurotrophic factor and TrkB-related signaling in anterior cingulate cortex in chronic pain with depression-like behavior.

Chronic pain with mood disorder, resulting from a peripheral nerve injury, is a serious clinical problem affecting the quality of life. A lack of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and abnormal intercellular signaling in the brain can mediate this symptom. BDNF is induced in cultured neurons by 4-methylcatechol (4-MC), but little is known about its role in pain-emotion.

Left ventricular diastolic function evaluated by the E/e' ratio is impaired in patients with masked uncontrolled hypertension.

Background: Masked uncontrolled hypertension (MUH), defined as controlled office blood pressure (BP) but uncontrolled out-of-office BP in treated hypertensives, is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. We tested the hypothesis that MUH is associated with a greater degree of diastolic dysfunction than controlled hypertension (CH) or uncontrolled hypertension (UH).

Methods And Results: We studied 299 treated patients who had at least one cardiovascular risk factor (age, 63 ± 10 years; male sex, 43%), consisting of 94 (31.