Effectiveness of a Community Pharmacy-Based Health Promotion Program on Hypertension in Bangladesh and Pakistan: Study Protocol for a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial.

The aim of this multi-country, cluster-randomized trial is to test the impact of pharmacy-based health promotion to reduce the blood pressure of individuals with hypertension over a 12-month period in Bangladesh and Pakistan. The trial will be implemented with two arms. In Bangladesh, the estimated sample size is around 3600 hypertensive patients.

[Challenges of Delivering Healthcare from an Economic and Public Finance Perspective].

As populations grow older, the sustainability of current healthcare systems is being questioned. This paper considers what is necessary to ensure the sustainability of the healthcare system in Japan from the perspective of economics and public finance. In particular, it addresses the cost-effective use of limited medical resources.

Difference in reaction mechanism between ZnZrO and InZrO for CO hydrogenation.

Oxide solid-solution catalysts, such as Zn-doped ZrO (ZnZrO) and In-doped ZrO (InZrO), exhibit distinctive catalytic capabilities for CHOH synthesis CO hydrogenation. We investigated the active site structures of these catalysts and their associated reaction mechanisms using both experimental and computational approaches. Electron microscopy and X-ray absorption spectroscopy reveal that the primary active sites are isolated cations, such as Zn and In, dissolved in tetragonal ZrO.

Plant strategies for greatest height: tapering or hollowing.

The tapered form and hollow cross-section of the stem and trunk of wild plants are rational mechanical approaches because they facilitate the plant simultaneously growing taller for photosynthesis and supporting its own weight. The purpose of this study is to clarify the advantages and disadvantages of tapering and hollowing from the perspective of the greatest probable height before self-buckling. We modelled woody plants using tapering or hollow cantilevers, formulated the greatest height before self-buckling, and derived a theoretical formula for the greatest probable height considering tapering and hollowing.

Mechanics-based classification rule for plants.

The height of thick and solid plants, such as woody plants, is proportional to two-thirds of the power of their diameter at breast height. However, this rule cannot be applied to herbaceous plants that are thin and soft because the mechanisms supporting their bodies are fundamentally different. This study aims to clarify the rigidity control mechanism resulting from turgor pressure caused by internal water in herbaceous plants to formulate the corresponding scaling law.

Rigidity control mechanism by turgor pressure in plants.

The bodies of herbaceous plants are slender, thin, and soft. These plants support their bodies through the action of turgor pressure associated with their internal water stores. The purpose of this study was to apply the principles of structural mechanics to clarify the underlying mechanism of rigidity control that is responsible for turgor pressure in plants and the reason behind the self-supporting ability of herbaceous plants.

Global, regional, and national progress in financial risk protection towards universal health coverage, 2000-2030.

Introduction: Complete (100%) protection against catastrophic health expenditure (CHE) and impoverishment is the main target of universal health coverage (UHC). Evidence-based estimates must be at the heart of policy development for UHC, further research using updated data is essential to monitor, track, and compare country progress up to 2030. We estimate global, regional, and country-level CHE and impoverishment during 2000-2030.

Structural rationalities of tapered hollow cylindrical beams and their use in Japanese traditional bamboo fishing rods.

Bamboo has historically been used in Japan as a structural material and for building tools such as fishing rods owing to its remarkable structural properties. In recent years, the materials used for manufacturing fishing rods have changed greatly owing to the development of composite materials; however, the basic slender tapered hollow cylindrical fishing rod design has remained unchanged throughout the long history of fishing. However, the mechanical rationale behind this structural design has not yet been sufficiently verified, and this study clarifies this.

Mathematical modelling to determine the greatest height of trees.

This study aimed to analyse the critical height of a column whose weight varies vertically in order to obtain a simple scaling law for a tree where the weight distribution considered. We modelled trees as cantilevers that were fixed to the ground and formulated a self-buckling problem for various weight distributions. A formula for calculating the critical height was derived in a simple form that did not include special functions.

Dynamics of washboard road formation driven by a harmonic oscillator.

Granular surfaces subjected to repeated passage often spontaneously develop a corrugated pattern. In this study, we scrutinized the growth dynamics of surface corrugation in a self-rotating sand bed that is traced by the edge of a vertically oscillating arm. We found that both the rotation velocity and the frequency of the oscillator strongly affect the occurrence rate of corrugation as well as the time evolution in the corrugation pattern, due to the intermittent collision between the oscillator and sand bed.

Bamboo-inspired optimal design for functionally graded hollow cylinders.

The optimal distribution of the reinforcing fibers for stiffening hollow cylindrical composites is explored using the linear elasticity theory. The spatial distribution of the vascular bundles in wild bamboo, a nature-designed functionally graded material, is the basis for the design. Our results suggest that wild bamboos maximize their flexural rigidity by optimally regulating the radial gradation of their vascular bundle distribution.

Impact of Fluorine-18 2-Fluoro-2-Deoxy-D-Glucose Uptake on Preoperative Positron Emission Tomography/Computed Tomography in the Lymph Nodes of Patients with Primary Colorectal Cancer.

Background/aims: Although the diagnostic value of fluorine-18 2-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (F-18-FDG) positron emission tomography/computed tomography (F-18-FDG-PET/CT) in patients with colorectal cancer (CRC) has been reported, the association between the F-18-FDG uptake in metastatic lymph nodes (FDGLN) and clinicopathological variables has not been fully investigated. We evaluated the diagnostic value of F-18-FDG-PET/CT in detecting LN metastasis from CRC, and the relationship between F-18-FDG-PET/CT-detecting LN metastasis and prognosis.

Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the medical records of 370 patients who underwent preoperative F-18-FDG-PET/CT, followed by surgical resection for CRC between January 2007 and December 2010.

Self-adaptive formation of uneven node spacings in wild bamboo.

Bamboo has a distinctive structure wherein a long cavity inside a cylindrical woody section is divided into many chambers by stiff diaphragms. The diaphragms are inserted at nodes and thought to serve as ring stiffeners for bamboo culms against the external load; if this is the case, the separation between adjacent nodes should be configured optimally in order to enhance the mechanical stability of the culms. Here, we reveal the hitherto unknown blueprint of the optimal node spacings used in the growth of wild bamboo.

Collision lung cancer on F-18 FDG PET/CT.

We report a case of a primary collision lung cancer consisting of squamous cell carcinoma and adenocarcinoma. A 73-year-old man with an abnormality found on chest radiograph in the right lower lobe was examined by FDG PET/CT (F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography). The tumor was composed of 2 different morphologic and FDG accumulation portions and a collision tumor was suspected.

F-18 FDG accumulation in mucinous cystic neoplasm of pancreas.

We report a case of mucinous cystic neoplasm which showed FDG accumulation in its cyst wall. MRI revealed that this tumor had repeated intracystic hemorrhage. Inhomogeneous FDG accumulation was found in the cyst wall.

F-18 FDG PET/CT in relapsing polychondritis.

We report a case of relapsing polychondritis for which fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) positron-emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) showed increased FDG accumulation in all rib cartilages, as well as in the larynx, trachea, and major bronchi. Contrast-enhanced CT during PET/CT showed smooth tracheal and bronchial wall thickening with calcification and airway narrowing. After steroid therapy, clinical symptoms and laboratory data were improved and cartilaginous FDG accumulation had completely disappeared.

Usefulness of F-18 FDG PET/CT in the assessment of disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex infection.

A patient showing abnormal fluorine-18-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) uptake due to disseminated Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection is presented. Increased focal FDG uptake was demonstrated in the cervical and supraclavicular lymph nodes, spleen, and diffuse bone marrow. FDG PET/CT is considered as a useful diagnostic tool to assess the exact extent and activity of disseminated MAC infection.

Structure-effect relationship in the down-regulation of glutaminase in cultured human cells by phenylarsenic compounds.

Diphenylarsinic acid [DPAA(V)] was detected in ground water used as drinking water after a poisonous incident in Kamisu, Japan. An approach to define the target molecules of DPAA(V) with a high throughput analysis of proteins from cultured human cells demonstrated down-regulation of glutaminase C (GAC). GAC is a splicing variant of the kidney-type glutaminase (KGA) gene and has the enzyme activity of phosphate-activated glutaminase (PAG).

Usefulness of FDG-PET/CT in the detection of pancreatic metastases from lung cancer.

Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the ability to detect pancreatic metastasis of lung cancer and to clarify the degree of fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) accumulation and computed tomography (CT) characteristics of pancreatic metastasis from lung cancer.

Methods: A total of 573 patients (415 men and 158 women) with lung cancer were retrospectively evaluated. All patients underwent FDG-positron emission tomography (PET)/CT with contrast-enhanced CT for first=stage (313 patients; initial study group) or follow-up study (260 patients; follow-up study group).

Multiple radial corrugations in multiwalled carbon nanotubes under pressure.

Radial elastic corrugation of multiwalled carbon nanotubes under hydrostatic pressure is demonstrated by using the continuum elastic theory. Various corrugation patterns are observed under a pressure of several GPa, wherein the stable cross-sectional shape depends on the innermost tube diameter D and the total number N of concentric walls. A phase diagram is established to obtain the requisite values of D and N for a desired corrugation pattern among choices.

Extrapancreatic F-18 FDG accumulation in autoimmune pancreatitis.

We report two cases of autoimmune pancreatitis (AIP) in which fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) showed moderate accumulation in the pancreas, as well as in bilateral submandibular glands and in multifocal lymph nodes. FDG positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) is a useful diagnostic tool to assess the extrapancreatic lesions of AIP, which is a recently proposed new clinicopathological entity named immunoglobulin G4 (IgG4)-related systemic disease. Recognition of the FDG-PET/CT findings of IgG4-related sclerosing disease is crucial to avoid unnecessary surgery or other intervention because of similarities to malignant lymphoma or malignant tumor with multiple lymph node metastases.

F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose accumulation in an inflammatory pseudotumor of the spleen.

We report on a case with an inflammatory pseudotumor of the spleen, which showed a moderate accumulation of F-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) in the tumor. F-18 FDG accumulated mainly in the peripheral portion of this tumor that showed abundant hypercellular inflammatory cells histopathologically. Splenic inflammatory pseudotumors should be recognized as F-18 FDG-avid benign tumors of the spleen.