Attitudes toward smoking cessation according to smoking status among dentists in the Aichi Dental Association in Japan.

Introduction: The prevalence of smoking, including heated tobacco products (HTPs), among Japanese dentists was reported to be 16.5%, significantly higher than that among Japanese physicians and United States dentists. However, large-scale studies on smoking cessation implementation based on dentists' smoking status and perceptions since the introduction of HTPs are lacking.

Melting temperature mapping method in children: Rapid identification of pathogenic microbes.

Introduction: The melting temperature (T) mapping method (TM) identifies bacterial species by intrinsic patterns of T values in the 16S ribosomal RNA gene (16S rDNA) extracted directly from whole blood. We examined potential clinical application of TM in children with bloodstream infection (BSI).

Methods: This was a prospective observational study at a children's hospital in Japan from 2018 to 2021.

Simple and Rapid Detection of ESBL bla gene from an Urban River in Tokyo by Loop-Mediated Isothermal Amplification.

Extended-spectrum β-lactamases (ESBLs) are produced mainly by gram-negative bacteria in Enterobacteriaceae. One of the major types of ESBLs is sulfhydryl variable (SHV) -type ESBL. Herein, we attempted to develop a simple and rapid method for the detection of the ESBL bla gene by loop-mediated isothermal amplification (LAMP) .

Smoking Status and Risk Awareness of Heated Tobacco Product Use among General Dental Practitioners Belonging to the Aichi Dental Association, Japan.

The awareness of healthcare practitioners concerning heated tobacco product (HTP) use risks has been evaluated; however, few studies have investigated general dental practitioners’ awareness regarding HTP-use risks. In this cross-sectional study, we investigated dentists’ awareness of the risks of smoking, particularly HTP use. A self-administered questionnaire, including eight questions on conventional cigarette and HTP smoking/using status and both knowledge and awareness of HTP-use risks, was posted to 3883 dentists belonging to the Aichi Dental Association, Japan, in August 2019.

Impact of incubation temperature profile on chick quality, bone, and immune system during the late period of incubation of Cobb 500 broiler strain.

The present study was conducted to examine the impact of incubation temperature profile on embryonic growth and chick quality post-hatch. Hatching eggs (n = 405) were incubated in a Jamesway PS-5000 single-stage incubator at 37.5°C and 56% RH until embryonic day 14 (ED14).

Comparison of Benzo［a］pyrene-Degrading Activities between Olleya sp. ITB9 Isolated from Tokyo Bay and Other Type Strains of the Genus Olleya.

Benzo［a］pyrene (BaP) is one of the strongest carcinogenic compounds among polycyclicaromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) .We previously identified the ITB9 strain of Olleya species, which shows BaP-degrading activity; our report was the first about BaP degradation by the genus Olleya. In this study, BaP-degradation efficiency by ITB9 was about 50% when the strain was suspended in 20 ml of L9 liquid medium with 100 μg/ml BaP and 0.

Draft Genome Sequences of the Lipid-Degrading Bacteria sp. Strains F1 and F3, Isolated from Mesopelagic Seawater from the Sagami Trough, in Japan.

sp. strains F1 and F3 are lipid-degrading bacteria that were isolated from intermediate water from the Sagami Trough, in Japan. We present the draft genome sequences of these two strains, which have 4,983,334 bp and 4,967,310 bp, respectively.

Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) Infections at High Frequency in Both AR-CGD and X-CGD Patients Following BCG Vaccination.

Background: Patients with chronic granulomatous disease (CGD) develop severe infections, including Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). Although the autosomal recessive CGD (AR-CGD) patients should hypothetically develop relatively fewer infections compared to the X-linked CGD (X-CGD) patients due to more residual reactive oxygen intermediates, the impacts of BCG vaccination on AR-CGD and X-CGD patients are unclear. Herein, we demonstrated the clinical features of BCG infections, treatments, and genetic factors in CGD patients after BCG vaccination under the Japanese immunization program.

Q301P mutant of Vibrio PR protease affects activities under low-temperature and high-pressure conditions.

We characterized a protease of the M4 family from the cold-adapted Vibrio sp. Pr21 that was isolated from seawater at 320-m deep in Sagami Bay, Japan, and named it as PR protease based on the strain name Pr21. The PR protease had activities at 10-60 °C and 0.

Screening for human immunodeficiency virus using a newly developed fourth generation lateral flow immunochromatography assay.

Background: High sensitivity for detection of HIV-1 p24 antigen allows for early detection of primary HIV-1 infections.

Objectives: To evaluate the detection sensitivity and specificity of the Daina Screen® HIV Combo assay using clinical specimens in Japan where the pretest probability (prevalence) is low.

Study Design: We screened 17,373 preoperative outpatient blood samples using 4 generation lateral flow immunochromatography Daina Screen® HIV Combo assay for simultaneously detecting anti-HIV-1/2 and HIV-1 p24 antigen.

Antibiotic-resistance of Fecal Coliforms at the Bottom of the Tama River, Tokyo.

We investigated the midstream bottom of the Tama River, which flows through Tokyo, to evaluate the occurrence and degree of antibiotic-resistant fecal coliforms including multidrug-resistant fecal coliforms. The genera Klebsiella and Escherichia were the major isolates among the fecal coliforms. For the genus Klebsiella, the highest antibiotic resistance was observed for ampicillin (100%) , followed by kanamycin, tetracycline, cefotaxime, and cefoxitin.

Comamonas sp. 3ah48 is a dibenz[a,h]anthracene-degrading bacterium that is tolerant to heavy metals.

Industrialization often causes polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) and heavy metal contamination of soil and water. In this study, we isolated a bacterium from bottom mud water around a park of Kawasaki Port, Japan, that degrades the 5-ring PAH dibenz[a,h]anthracene (DBA). The strain, Comamonas sp.

Association between uncooperativeness and the glucose metabolism of patients with chronic behavioral disorders after severe traumatic brain injury: a cross-sectional retrospective study.

Bakground: Patients with behavioral disorders following severe traumatic brain injury (sTBI) often have disorders of consciousness that make expressing their emotional distress difficult. However, no standard method for assessing the unsettled and unforeseen responses that are associated with behavioral disorders has yet to be established. Because the thalamus is known to play a role in maintaining consciousness and cognition, we used 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography/computed tomography (18F-FDG-PET/CT) to examine the association between brain glucose metabolism in the thalamus and behavioral disorders.

Enzymatic properties and the gene structure of a cold-adapted laminarinase from Pseudoalteromonas species LA.

We isolated a laminarin-degrading cold-adapted bacterium strain LA from coastal seawater in Sagami Bay, Japan and identified it as a Pseudoalteromonas species. We named the extracellular laminarinase LA-Lam, and purified and characterized it. LA-Lam showed high degradation activity for Laminaria digitata laminarin in the ranges of 15-50°C and pH 5.

Crystal structure of a Ca-dependent regulator of flagellar motility reveals the open-closed structural transition.

Sperm chemotaxis toward a chemoattractant is very important for the success of fertilization. Calaxin, a member of the neuronal calcium sensor protein family, directly acts on outer-arm dynein and regulates specific flagellar movement during sperm chemotaxis of ascidian, Ciona intestinalis. Here, we present the crystal structures of calaxin both in the open and closed states upon Ca and Mg binding.

Contribution of Coulomb Interactions to a Two-Step Crystal Structure Phase Transformation Coupled with a Significant Change in Spin Crossover Behavior for a Series of Charged Fe Complexes from 2,6-Bis(2-methylthiazol-4-yl)pyridine.

A series of [Fe(L)](BF) compounds were structurally and physically characterized (L = 2,6-bis(2-methylthiazol-4-yl)pyridine). A crystal structure phase transformation from dihydrate compound 1 to anhydrous compound 3 through partially hydrated compounds 2 and 2' upon dehydration was found. Compounds 1 and 3 exhibited a gradual spin crossover (SCO) conversion, whereas compounds 2 and 2' demonstrated two-step and one-step abrupt SCO transitions, respectively.

Neutralization of acidic drainage by Cryptococcus sp. T1 immobilized in alginate beads.

We isolated Cryptococcus sp. T1 from Lake Tazawa's acidic water in Japan. Cryptococcus sp.

Efficacy and safety of telaprevir with natural human interferon-β and ribavirin in Japanese chronic hepatitis C patients with depression.

Aim: To assess the efficacy and safety of telaprevir (TVR) when used in combination with natural human interferon-β (IFN-β) and ribavirin (RBV) for genotype 1 patients with depression compared to IFN-β/RBV therapy in Japan. We also examined the efficacy of the TVR/IFN-β/RBV therapy in treatment failure genotype 2 patients with depression.

Methods: For the genotype 1 patients, 30 patients received TVR (750 mg every 8 h) for 12 weeks combined with IFN-β and RBV for 24 weeks (Group A), and 30 received IFN-β and RBV for 48 weeks (Group B).

Glucose uptake of the muscle and adipose tissues in diabetes and obesity disease models: evaluation of insulin and β3-adrenergic receptor agonist effects by F-FDG.

Objective: One of the major causes of diabetes and obesity is abnormality in glucose metabolism and glucose uptake in the muscle and adipose tissue based on an insufficient action of insulin. Therefore, many of the drug discovery programs are based on the concept of stimulating glucose uptake in these tissues. Improvement of glucose metabolism has been assessed based on blood parameters, but these merely reflect the systemic reaction to the drug administered.

Isolation of aquatic yeasts with the ability to neutralize acidic media, from an extremely acidic river near Japan's Kusatsu-Shirane Volcano.

The Yukawa River is an extremely acidic river whose waters on the east foot of the Kusatu-Shirane Volcano (in Gunma Prefecture, Japan) contain sulfate ions. Here we isolated many acid-tolerant yeasts from the Yukawa River, and some of them neutralized an acidic R2A medium containing casamino acid. Candida fluviatilis strain CeA16 had the strongest acid tolerance and neutralizing activity against the acidic medium.

Beads-Milling of Waste Si Sawdust into High-Performance Nanoflakes for Lithium-Ion Batteries.

Nowadays, ca. 176,640 tons/year of silicon (Si) (>4N) is manufactured for Si wafers used for semiconductor industry. The production of the highly pure Si wafers inevitably includes very high-temperature steps at 1400-2000 °C, which is energy-consuming and environmentally unfriendly.