Characterization of Influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 Viruses Isolated in the 2018-2019 and 2019-2020 Influenza Seasons in Japan.

The influenza A(H1N1)pdm09 virus that emerged in 2009 causes seasonal epidemic worldwide. The virus acquired several amino acid substitutions that were responsible for antigenic drift until the 2018-2019 influenza season. Viruses possessing mutations in the NA and PA proteins that cause reduced susceptibility to NA inhibitors and baloxavir marboxil, respectively, have been detected after antiviral treatment, albeit infrequently.

Spatiotemporal dynamics of high-wavenumber turbulence in a basic laboratory plasma.

High-spatial resolution observation of high-wavenumber broadband turbulence is achieved by controlling the magnetic field to be relatively low and measuring with a azimuthally arranged multi-channel Langmuir array in a basic laboratory plasma. The observed turbulence consists of narrowband low-frequency fluctuations and broadband high-frequency turbulent fluctuations. The low-frequency fluctuations have a frequency of about 0.

Two-dimensional hole gas in organic semiconductors.

A highly conductive metallic gas that is quantum mechanically confined at a solid-state interface is an ideal platform to explore non-trivial electronic states that are otherwise inaccessible in bulk materials. Although two-dimensional electron gases have been realized in conventional semiconductor interfaces, examples of two-dimensional hole gases, the counterpart to the two-dimensional electron gas, are still limited. Here we report the observation of a two-dimensional hole gas in solution-processed organic semiconductors in conjunction with an electric double layer using ionic liquids.

Conceptual design of heavy ion beam probes on the PLATO tokamak.

Heavy ion beam probe (HIBP) systems have been designed for the new tokamak, PLATO [A. Fujisawa, AIP Conf. Proc.

The first observation of 4D tomography measurement of plasma structures and fluctuations.

A tomography system is installed as one of the diagnostics of new age to examine the three-dimensional characteristics of structure and dynamics including fluctuations of a linear magnetized helicon plasma. The system is composed of three sets of tomography components located at different axial positions. Each tomography component can measure the two-dimensional emission profile over the entire cross-section of plasma at different axial positions in a sufficient temporal scale to detect the fluctuations.

Effect of vegetable juice consumption prior to eating rice on postprandial blood glucose and insulin levels.

Vegetable juice has been demonstrated to attenuate the elevation of postprandial blood glucose when consumed prior to meals. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of pre-meal consumption of vegetable juice on blood glucose and insulin levels. A total of 10 healthy volunteers aged 20-29 years ingested 200 ml of either water, a sugar solution with the same sugar composition as the vegetable juice or vegetable juice 30 min prior to consuming the cooked rice, and their blood glucose and insulin levels were measured.

Enhancement and suppression of turbulence by energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic modes.

We propose a novel mechanism of enhancement of turbulence by energetic-particle-driven geodesic acoustic modes (EGAMs). The dynamics of drift-wave-type turbulence in the phase space is investigated by wave-kinetic equation. Spatially inhomogeneous turbulence in the presence of a transport barrier is considered.

Eddy, drift wave and zonal flow dynamics in a linear magnetized plasma.

Turbulence and its structure formation are universal in neutral fluids and in plasmas. Turbulence annihilates global structures but can organize flows and eddies. The mutual-interactions between flow and the eddy give basic insights into the understanding of non-equilibrium and nonlinear interaction by turbulence.

A Concept of Cross-Ferroic Plasma Turbulence.

The variety of scalar and vector fields in laboratory and nature plasmas is formed by plasma turbulence. Drift-wave fluctuations, driven by density gradients in magnetized plasmas, are known to relax the density gradient while they can generate flows. On the other hand, the sheared flow in the direction of magnetic fields causes Kelvin-Helmholtz type instabilities, which mix particle and momentum.

Effect of low glycemic index food and postprandial exercise on blood glucose level, oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity.

Low glycemic index (GI) food and postprandial exercise are non-drug therapies for improving postprandial hyperglycemia. The present randomized, crossover study investigated the effect of low GI food combined with postprandial exercise on postprandial blood glucose level, oxidative stress and antioxidant capacity. A total of 13 healthy subjects were each used in four experiments: i) rice only (control), ii) salad prior to rice (LGI), iii) exercise following rice (EX) and iv) salad prior to rice and exercise following rice (MIX).

Observation of long-distance radial correlation in toroidal plasma turbulence.

This Letter presents the discovery of macroscale electron temperature fluctuations with a long radial correlation length comparable to the plasma minor radius in a toroidal plasma. Their spatiotemporal structure is characterized by a low frequency of ∼1-3  kHz, ballistic radial propagation, a poloidal or toroidal mode number of m/n=1/1 (or 2/1), and an amplitude of ∼2% at maximum. Nonlinear coupling between the long-range fluctuations and the microscopic fluctuations is identified.

Observation of quasi-two-dimensional nonlinear interactions in a drift-wave streamer.

A streamer, which is a bunching of drift-wave fluctuations, and its mediator, which generates the streamer by coupling with other fluctuations, have been observed in a cylindrical magnetized plasma. Their radial structures were investigated in detail by using the biphase analysis. Their quasi-two-dimensional structures were revealed to be equivalent with a pair of fast and slow modes predicted by a nonlinear Schrödinger equation based on the Hasegawa-Mima model.

Comparison of observed and estimated concentrations of volatile organic compounds using a Gaussian dispersion model in the vicinity of factories: an estimation approach to determine annual average concentrations and human health risks.

The concentrations of toluene and dichloromethane in the vicinity of factories that emitted a large amount of toluene or dichloromethane into the atmosphere were determined for the comparison of observed and estimated concentrations using a Gaussian dispersion model (METI-LIS model). Greater concentrations of toluene and dichloromethane than the guideline value described in the Air Quality Guidelines for Europe, second edition, were measured in the vicinity of factories (270 and 470 micro g/m(3) for toluene and 510 and 660 micro g/m(3) for dichloromethane). Toluene and dichloromethane may have some adverse health effects on the local population in the vicinity of the emission source.

Endoscopic Resection of Zenker's Diverticulum.

We report an endoscopically assisted total diverticulectomy for Zenker's diverticulum. Skin incisions were made at the anterior axillary line, the center of the sternum, and the neck as portals for endoscopical instruments. The skin was retracted with hooks which provided an excellent view of the working space.

P-selectin expression, but not GPIIb/IIIa activation, is enhanced in the inflammatory stage of Takayasu's arteritis.

Background: Inflammation and thrombosis are closely related processes, but the association between disease activity and thrombogenicity in Takayasu's arteritis (TA) is poorly understood. To investigate the link between platelet activation and disease activity, flow cytometric analyses of platelet P-selectin and activated GPIIb/IIIa expression were performed in patients with TA.

Methods And Results: Twenty-two patients with TA, classified into active (Group A, n = 9) and inactive (Group I, n = 13) according to blood-derived inflammatory markers, and 14 healthy age- and gender-matched controls (Group C) were studied.

Two-dimensional structure and particle pinch in tokamak H mode.

Two-dimensional structures of the electrostatic potential, density, and flow velocity near the edge of a tokamak plasma are investigated. The model includes the nonlinearity in bulk-ion viscosity and turbulence-driven shear viscosity. For the case with the strong radial electric field (H mode), a two-dimensional structure in a transport barrier is obtained, giving a poloidal shock with a solitary radial electric field profile.

Role of descending noradrenergic system and spinal alpha2-adrenergic receptors in the effects of gabapentin on thermal and mechanical nociception after partial nerve injury in the mouse.

1. To gain further insight into the mechanisms underlying the antihyperalgesic and antiallodynic actions of gabapentin, a chronic pain model was prepared by partially ligating the sciatic nerve in mice. The mice then received systemic or local injections of gabapentin combined with either central noradrenaline (NA) depletion by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade.

Perindopril augments ecto-ATP diphosphohydrolase activity and enhances endothelial anti-platelet function in human umbilical vein endothelial cells.

Objectives: Recent clinical trials have demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) reduce thrombotic events by unknown mechanisms in patients with atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases.

Design: We studied the in-vitro effects of perindopril, an ACEI, on the ability of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) to inhibit platelet aggregation.

Methods: Platelet aggregation in the presence of HUVEC and endothelial surface expression and activities of ecto-ATP diphosphohydrolase (ecto-ADPase), CD39, were determined.

Acute vigorous exercise primes enhanced NO release in human platelets.

Activation of platelets by acute vigorous exercise has been demonstrated by various parameters, including an increase in agonist-induced platelet [Ca2+]i levels. However, direct evidence is lacking regarding how acute exercise affects platelet-derived NO. Twenty-three healthy male non-smokers (21-59 years) underwent a symptom-limited treadmill exercise test.

Ibudilast: a non-selective PDE inhibitor with multiple actions on blood cells and the vascular wall.

Ibudilast (3-isobutyryl-2-isopropylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine) is a nonselective inhibitor of cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE). It is widely used in Japan for improving prognosis and relieving symptoms in patients suffering from ischemic stroke or bronchial asthma. These clinical applications are based on the properties of ibudilast that inhibit platelet aggregation, improve cerebral blood flow and attenuate allergic reactions.

Chiral discrimination with regioselectively substituted cellulose esters as chiral stationary phases.

Four kinds of cellulose derivatives, including two regioselectively substituted cellulose esters (6-O-acetyl-2,3-di-O-benzoyl cellulose and 2,3-di-O-acetyl-6-O-benzoyl cellulose), were synthesized so that the effects of their functional group distribution on their chiral discrimination ability could be examined. The degree of substitution by functional groups appeared to have a critical effect on the separation in most cases, but the type of the functional group at the C-6 position also significantly influenced chiral discrimination when a series of neutral arylalcohol derivatives were used as racemates. Copyright 2000 Wiley-Liss, Inc.

Ibudilast modulates platelet-endothelium interaction mainly through cyclic GMP-dependent mechanism.

3-Isobutyryl-2-isopropylpyrazolo[1,5-a]pyridine (ibudilast) has been widely used in Japanese clinics for its antiasthmatic and antithrombotic effects. We investigated the mechanisms involved in the antiplatelet effects of the agent, specifically focusing on platelet-endothelium interaction. Ibudilast inhibits both phosphodiesterase (PDE) 3 and 5, the two major PDE isoforms of human platelets, with an IC50 of 31 and 2.

Synthesis and characterization of highly substituted deoxyfluorocellulose acetate.

Deoxyfluorocellulose acetates were prepared from cellulose acetate (CA, degree of substitution by acetyl groups: 2.2 and 1.7) by using diethylaminosulfur trifluoride (DAST) in 1,4-dioxane or diglyme.