Reference values for urinary protein, albumin, beta 2-microglobulin, and the alpha 1-microglobulin-to-creatinine ratio in Japanese children.

Background: The importance of the ratio of creatinine to urinary protein, albumin, and low-molecular weight protein as a urinary marker in chronic kidney disease patients is widely recognized. However, no reference values have hitherto been established for these markers in Japanese children. The present study aimed to establish the reference values for these urinary markers in Japanese children.

High-Performance P-Channel Tin Halide Perovskite Thin Film Transistor Utilizing a 2D-3D Core-Shell Structure.

Metal halide perovskites (MHPs) are plausible candidates for practical p-type semiconductors. However, in thin film transistor (TFT) applications, both 2D PEA SnI and 3D FASnI MHPs have different drawbacks. In 2D MHP, the TFT mobility is seriously reduced by grain-boundary issues, whereas 3D MHP has an uncontrollably high hole density, which results in quite a large threshold voltage (V ).

Electrocardiographic Diagnosis of Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy in the Pre- and Post-Diagnostic Phases in Children and Adolescents.

Background: The usefulness of electrocardiographic (ECG) voltage criteria for diagnosing hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in pediatric patients is poorly defined.

Methods and results: ECGs at the 1st grade (mean [±SD] age 6.6±0.

Parasitic Current Induced by Gate Overlap in Thin-Film Transistors.

As novel applications of oxide semiconductors are realized, various structural devices and integrated circuits are being proposed, and the gate-overlay defect phenomenon is becoming more diverse in its effects. Herein, the electrical properties of the transistor that depend on the geometry between the gate and the semiconductor layer are analyzed, and the specific phenomena associated with the degree of overlap are reproduced. In the semiconductor layer, where the gate electrode is not overlapped, it is experimentally shown that a dual current is generated, and the results of 3D simulations confirm that the magnitude of the current increases as the parasitic current moves away from the gate electrode.

Dietary Habits Had No Relationship with Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis: Analysis Utilizing Quantitative Data about Dietary Intakes.

Although several genetic and environmental factors have been identified as risk factors of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS), the influence of dietary intake has not been elucidated. We evaluated the association between AIS and dietary habits among female students. Junior high school girls aged 12 to 15 years in the Tokyo metropolitan area who underwent a second school screening for scoliosis were recruited.

Analysis of the hump phenomenon and needle defect states formed by driving stress in the oxide semiconductor.

The reduction in current ability accompanied by the hump phenomenon in oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors to which high DC voltages and AC drive voltages are applied has not been studied extensively, although it is a significant bottleneck in the manufacture of integrated circuits. Here, we report on the origin of the hump and current drop in reliability tests caused by the degradation in the oxide semiconductor during a circuit driving test. The hump phenomenon and current drop according to two different driving stresses were verified.

Electron-blocking by the potential barrier originated from the asymmetrical local density of state in the oxide semiconductor.

Defect generation in oxide semiconductor thin-film transistors under high-voltage driving has not been studied in depth despite being a crucial bottleneck in the making of the integrated circuit utilized in an oxide semiconductor. Here we report on the origin of the asymmetrical transport characteristics caused by the degradation in the oxide semiconductor during integrated circuit driving. The variation of the current profiles based on test conditions is related to the generation of local defect states in the oxide material; this generation could be caused by the structural change of the material.

Standard Values and Characteristics of Electrocardiographic Findings in Children and Adolescents.

Background: Reference values and the characteristics of the electrocardiographic (ECG) findings using a large number of subjects are lacking for children and adolescents.

Methods and results: A total of 56,753 digitally stored ECGs of participants in a school-based ECG screening system were obtained between 2006 and 2009 in Kagoshima, Japan. Each ECG was manually reviewed by 2 pediatric cardiologists and only ECGs with sinus rhythm were included.

Impact of transient currents caused by alternating drain stress in oxide semiconductors.

Reliability issues associated with driving metal-oxide semiconductor thin film transistors (TFTs), which may arise from various sequential drain/gate pulse voltage stresses and/or certain environmental parameters, have not received much attention due to the competing desire to characterise the shift in the transistor characteristics caused by gate charging. In this paper, we report on the reliability of these devices under AC bias stress conditions because this is one of the major sources of failure. In our analysis, we investigate the effects of the driving frequency, pulse shape, strength of the applied electric field, and channel current, and the results are compared with those from a general reliability test in which the devices were subjected to negative/positive bias, temperature, and illumination stresses, which are known to cause the most stress to oxide semiconductor TFTs.

Physical Activities and Lifestyle Factors Related to Adolescent Idiopathic Scoliosis.

Background: In addition to genetic factors, environmental and lifestyle factors are thought to play an important role in the onset of adolescent idiopathic scoliosis (AIS). This cross-sectional study was conducted to explore lifestyle factors related to AIS.

Methods: This study included 2,759 Japanese female junior high school students who planned a secondary screening after an initial moiré topography screening indicated possible scoliosis.

Wearable and low-stress ambulatory blood pressure monitoring technology for hypertension diagnosis.

We propose a highly wearable, upper-arm type, oscillometric-based blood pressure monitoring technology with low-stress. The low-stress is realized by new developments in the hardware and software design. In the hardware design, conventional armband; cuff, is almost halved in volume thanks to a flexible plastic core and a liquid bag which enhances the fitness and pressure uniformity over the arm.

Improving recognition of hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor: Case report and literature review.

A 58-year-old man presented with the chief complaint of abdominal bloating and was incidentally found to have a liver tumor. As diagnostic imaging studies could not rule out malignancy, the patient underwent partial resection of segment 3 of the liver. The lesion pathologically showed eosinophilic proliferation, in addition to immunohistochemical positivity for human melanoma black 45 and Melan-A, thereby leading to the diagnosis of a hepatic perivascular epithelioid cell tumor (PEComa).

Solitary pulmonary metastasis from prostate cancer with neuroendocrine differentiation: a case report and review of relevant cases from the literature.

Background: Solitary lung metastasis from prostate cancer is rare. There are few reports of such cases with neuroendocrine differentiation.

Case Presentation: A 50-year-old man presented to our hospital with a chief complaint of dysuria.

CT Findings in Pediatric Novel Influenza A (H1N1)-Associated Pneumonia.

Objective: To explore CT findings in pediatric novel influenza A (H1N1)-associated pneumonia

Methods: We examined the CT findings in a series of six children with influenza H1N1-associated pneumonia.

Findings: In this series of cases, the predominant CT patterns were consolidations surrounded by ground glass opacities (GGOs) as well as isolated GGOs in all patients. Atelectasis was present in the right upper lobe (n=2) in three cases and pneumomediastinum in two.

Lack of starch synthase IIIa and high expression of granule-bound starch synthase I synergistically increase the apparent amylose content in rice endosperm.

Rice endosperm starch is composed of 0-30% linear amylose, which is entirely synthesized by granule-bound starch synthase I (GBSSI: encoded by Waxy, Wx). The remainder consists of branched amylopectin and is elongated by multiple starch synthases (SS) including SSI, IIa and IIIa. Typical japonica rice lacks active SSIIa and contains a low expressing Wx(b) causing a low amylose content (ca.

Isolated tuberculous liver abscess invading the abdominal wall: report of a case.

Isolated tuberculous liver parenchymal and subcapsular abscesses are unusual,^but an abdominal wall abscess secondary to a tubercular liver abscess is extremely rare. To our knowledge, there is only one reported case of an abdominal wall abscess occurring secondary to a subcapsular liver abscess. We report the first documented case of direct invasion of the abdominal wall from an isolated tuberculous liver parenchymal abscess, diagnosed by imaging, surgical, and pathological findings.

Clinical usefulness of temporal subtraction method in screening digital chest radiography with a mobile computed radiography system.

The temporal subtraction image which is obtained by subtraction of a previous image from a current image of the same patient can enhance interval changes. In this study, we applied the temporal subtraction method for lung cancer screening and evaluated the clinical usefulness by comparing the review time and the detection accuracy of lung cancers without and with subtraction images. Since 1996, we have been performing screening chest radiography for a mass survey of lung cancers in the Iwate Prefecture, Japan, by using a van equipped with a computed radiography system and a digital archive system.

Bar code-based pre-transfusion check in pre-operative autologous blood donation.

Background: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility of a bar code-based identification system for the pre-transfusion check at the bedside in the setting of pre-operative autologous blood donation (PABD).

Materials And Methods: Between July 2003 and December 2008 we determined the compliance rate and causes of failure of electronic bedside checking for PABD transfusion.

Results: A total of 5627 (9% of all transfusions) PABD units were administered without a single mistransfusion.

Data management solution for large-volume computed tomography in an existing picture archiving and communication system (PACS).

Multidetector row computed tomography (MDCT) creates massive amounts of data, which can overload a picture archiving and communication system (PACS). To solve this problem, we designed a new data storage and image interpretation system in an existing PACS. Two MDCT image datasets, a thick- and a thin-section dataset, and a single-detector CT thick-section dataset were reconstructed.

Radiological assessment following thermoradiation therapy for primary pleural synovial sarcoma: case report.

Primary pleural synovial sarcoma is a rare disease with poor outcomes. Although hyperthermia therapy as part of a combined treatment regimen can offer improved local tumor control, only two reports of hyperthermia therapy for synovial sarcoma have appeared in the literature, and these sarcomas were not of pleuropulmonary origin. This report of an advanced inoperable primary pleural synovial sarcoma is the first to address the use of hyperthermia therapy in combination with chemoradiotherapy for this disease, together with radiological assessment following that therapy.

Primary leiomyosarcoma of the inferior vena cava: case report.

The patient was a 63-year-old woman with a chief complaint of blood-stained sputum. A tumor of the inferior vena cava was found on chest computed tomography (CT) and identified as a primary tumor based on multidetector CT and contrast-enhanced MR angiography. An intrapelvic tumor was also discovered.