Do changes in working hours increase stress in Japanese white-collar workers?

Introduction: High stress at work is associated with negative health outcomes for workers, making stress prevention a critical challenge. Overtime work is an influential stress factor. This study, therefore, aimed to longitudinally evaluate how stress increased depending on changes in working hours among Japanese white-collar workers.

A Generalized Structural Equation Model Approach to Long Working Hours and Near-Misses among Healthcare Professionals in Japan.

(1) Background: Near-miss incidents are the foundation of major injuries. They are warning signs that loss is imminent. Long working hours are a risk factor for near-misses along with sleep problems, job-related stress, and depressive symptoms.

Separation of calcium-48 isotope by crown ether chromatography using ethanol/hydrochloric acid mixed solvent.

Benzo-18-crown-6 ether resin embedded in porous silica beads was synthesized and used as the packing material for chromatographic separation of (48)Ca isotope. The aim of the present work is to develop efficient isotope enrichment process for double β decay nuclide (48)Ca. To this end, ethanol/HCl mixed solvent was selected as the medium for the chromatographic separation.

Cilostazol strengthens barrier integrity in brain endothelial cells.

We studied the effect of cilostazol, a selective inhibitor of phosphodiesterase 3, on barrier functions of blood-brain barrier (BBB)-related endothelial cells, primary rat brain capillary endothelial cells (RBEC), and the immortalized human brain endothelial cell line hCMEC/D3. The pharmacological potency of cilostazol was also evaluated on ischemia-related BBB dysfunction using a triple co-culture BBB model (BBB Kit™) subjected to 6-h oxygen glucose deprivation (OGD) and 3-h reoxygenation. There was expression of phosphodiesterase 3B mRNA in RBEC, and a significant increase in intracellular cyclic AMP (cAMP) content was detected in RBEC treated with both 1 and 10 μM cilostazol.

Deagglomeration and surface modification of thermally annealed nanoscale diamond.

Thermally annealed nanodiamond has been functionalized by C-C coupling of the partially graphitized diamond surface using aryl diazonium salts. Depending on the terminal functional groups, the modified bucky diamond nanoparticles show good solubility (up to 0.63mgmL(-1)) in different solvents.

A general procedure to functionalize agglomerating nanoparticles demonstrated on nanodiamond.

Upon reduction of particle size to the nanometer range, one has to deal with the general issue of spontaneous agglomeration, which often obstructs postsynthesis modification of nanoparticle surfaces. A technique to cope with this phenomenon is required to realize a wide variety of applications using nanoparticles in solvents or as refined assemblies. In this article, we report on a new technique to facilitate surface chemistry of nanoparticles in a conventional glassware system.

Predicting prognosis based on the shape of the left ventricular cavity in dilated cardiomyopathy: analysis using rate of improvement in the circle index.

Purpose: To elucidate the relation between a quantitative measure of the shape of the left ventricular cavity, cardiac function, and prognosis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM).

Methods: The hearts of 20 healthy individuals and 18 patients with DCM were evaluated. Participants were aged 48.

Improved septal contraction and coronary flow velocity after cardiac resynchronization therapy elucidated by strain imaging and pulsed wave Doppler echocardiography.

Objectives: The effects of cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) with various atrioventricular conduction delay settings were investigated on cardiac hemodynamic changes involved in coronary flow velocity using color and pulsed wave Doppler modalities and myocardial regional contractility using a novel echocardiographic technique (strain imaging).

Methods: Seven patients with advanced heart failure (left ventricular ejection fraction < 35%) and left bundle branch block(QRS > or = 140 msec) were treated with CRT. Color and pulsed wave Doppler imaging were performed from the apical four-chamber view to examine the cardiac functions such as stroke volume, cardiac output, mitral regurgitant volume and coronary flow velocity.

Effect of alcohols on elution chromatography of trivalent actinides and lanthanides using tertiary pyridine resin with hydrochloric acid-alcohol mixed solvents.

Elution chromatography with a tertiary pyridine resin has been used to separate the trivalent actinides (An3+) from the lanthanides (Ln3+) using an alcoholic hydrochloric acid solvent. Trivalent Am and Cm were separated from the Ln by employing a 1 cm(phi) x 10 cm resin column with the mixed solvent system composed of concentrated hydrochloric acid (HCl) and alcohols. The distribution coefficients (Kd) and the separation factors between An and Ln (alpha(An)(Ln)) increased as the alcohol content of the solvent mixture increased.

Significance of low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography for the prediction of the long-term prognosis for patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Objectives: Detection of stunned myocardium using low-dose dobutamine stress echocardiography is a good predictor of improvement of cardiac function in patients with acute myocardial infarction during short hospital stays. The present study evaluated the detection of stunned myocardium as a predictor of the long-term prognosis for patients with acute myocardial infarction.

Methods: One hundred and two patients (83 males, 19 females, mean age 61.