Search for Dark Photon Dark Matter in the Mass Range 74-110 μeV with a Cryogenic Millimeter-Wave Receiver.

We search for the dark photon dark matter (DPDM) using a cryogenic millimeter-wave receiver. DPDM has a kinetic coupling with electromagnetic fields with a coupling constant of χ and is converted into ordinary photons at the surface of a metal plate. We search for signal of this conversion in the frequency range 18-26.

Antimicrobial stewardship intervention for the clinical pathways improves antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgical or non-surgical invasive therapies.

Background: The standard duration of administration of antimicrobial prophylaxis in surgery and non-surgical invasive therapy was shortened according to the promotion of appropriate use. Here, we conducted an intervention to optimise antimicrobial prophylaxis by revising all relevant clinical pathways based on the most recent guidelines.

Methods: We conducted a single-centre, prospective cohort study in patients who received antimicrobial prophylaxis to evaluate outcomes following revision of the clinical pathways for antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Clinical impact of a prospective audit with intervention and feedback without carbapenem restriction in patients receiving carbapenem injection.

Background: Antimicrobial stewardship is required to ensure the appropriate use of antimicrobials. However, few reports have shown the impact of antimicrobial stewardship on clinical outcomes.

Methods: To evaluate the clinical outcomes of implementing a prospective audit with intervention and feedback without carbapenem pre-authorisation, we conducted a single-centre, prospective cohort study in patients who received carbapenem injection.

A Preliminary Study of Work-Focused Cognitive Behavioural Group Therapy for Japanese Workers.

Background: In Japan, cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) has been introduced in the 'Rework Programme', but its impact on return to work (RTW) has not been fully clarified.

Aims: This pilot study investigated the initial efficacy of a work-focused cognitive behavioural group therapy (WF-CBGT) for Japanese workers on sick leave due to depression.

Method: Twenty-three patients on leave due to depression were recruited from a mental health clinic.

Coexistence of giant blue nevus of the scalp with hair loss and alopecia areata.

A 43-year-old Japanese man presented with a 13-year history of a grayish macule measuring 7 cm in diameter with sparse hairs on the vertex. Histopathological examination demonstrated two types of melanocytes, spindle-shaped and ovoid cells, with abundant melanin aggregated around the upper part of the pilosebaceous apparatus. Fibrous, thick collagen bundles were also seen surrounding the upper part of the small hair follicles.

Pokkuri Death Syndrome; sudden cardiac death cases without coronary atherosclerosis in South Asian young males.

Sudden death is one of the major concerns in forensic medicine. Especially when the deceased is a young subject without significant history, the case will be of major interest to the authorities. Sudden unexplained cardiac death has been known as "Pokkuri Death Syndrome" (PDS) in Japan, "Lai Tai" in Thailand, "Bangungut" in the Philippines, "Dream Disease" in Hawaii, and "Sudden Unexpected Nocturnal Death Syndrome" among South Asian immigrants in the USA.

Bronchial reactivity to histamine is correlated with airway remodeling in adults with moderate to severe asthma.

Background: Chronic eosinophilic inflammation may promote airway remodeling, including thickening of the reticular basement membrane (RBM), hypertrophy and hyperplasia of the airway smooth muscles (ASM), and an increase in the production of tenascin. The authors examined the correlation between airway remodeling and bronchial reactivity to histamine (Hist) and acetylcholine (ACh) in patients with moderate to severe asthma.

Methods: In 30 adult patients with asthma, the authors assessed bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) to various concentrations of ACh and Hist by measuring decreases in forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV₁) of >20% from the preprovocation state, and % recoveries of FEV₁ after inhalation of β-stimulant.

Bronchial hyperresponsiveness to histamine correlates with airway remodelling in adults with asthma.

Background: Chronic eosinophilic inflammation may promote bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR), which involves reversible reduction of airflow and airway remodelling such as a thickening of the reticular basement membrane (RBM) and hypertrophy and hyperplasia of airway smooth muscle (ASM). BHR to histamine (Hist) and acetylcholine (ACh) cannot differentiate airway inflammation and remodelling.

Objective: To examine the correlations between eosinophilic inflammation or airway remodelling and BHR to Hist or ACh in adults with severe asthma.

Brunsting-Perry type localized bullous pemphigoid, possibly induced by furosemide administration and sun exposure.

A 56-year-old male visited our hospital complaining of irregular-shaped atrophic erythematous plaques with blood crust, erosion, pigmentation, and depigmentation, localized on his forehead, bilateral cheeks, and ear lobes, for over one year. He has been receiving peritoneal dialysis and furosemide administration due to chronic renal failure for four years. Direct immunofluorescence examination exhibited linear depositions of IgG and C3 in the basement membrane zone.

Detection of apolipoproteins B-48 and B-100 carrying particles in lipoprotein fractions extracted from human aortic atherosclerotic plaques in sudden cardiac death cases.

Background: ApoB-48 is a major apolipoprotein secreted by the small intestine and is the main constitutive apolipoprotein in chylomicrons (CM). In the past, presence of apoB-48 in human aortic atherosclerotic plaques has not been detected.

Methods: A newly developed apoB-48 ELISA together with an HPLC fractionation technique, were applied to investigate the presence of apoB-48 (CM) in aortic atherosclerotic plaques.

Plasma remnant-like lipoprotein particles or LDL-C as major pathologic factors in sudden cardiac death cases.

We have previously reported that the majority of sudden cardiac death (SCD) events were associated with postprandial hyperlipidemia in Japanese subjects. In this investigation, we have compared LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C) and remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLP) as cardiovascular risk factors in SCD cases, especially in Pokkuri death syndrome (PDS) cases who had nearly normal coronary arteries. To predict the risk of plasma RLP-cholesterol, triglyceride (RLP-C, RLP-TG) and LDL-C in fatal clinical events associated with SCD cases with or without atherosclerosis (PDS), we calculated the cut-off values and likelihood ratio of these lipoproteins from ROC analysis.

ApoB-100 carrying lipoprotein, but not apoB-48, is the major subset of proatherogenic remnant-like lipoprotein particles detected in plasma of sudden cardiac death cases.

We have previously reported that plasma levels of remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLP) significantly increased in sudden cardiac death cases with and without coronary atherosclerosis. In this study we have elucidated the major subset of proatherogenic RLP, containing both apoB-48 and apoB-100-carrying remnants, in plasma of SCD and control death cases. One hundred and sixty seven Japanese cases of sudden cardiac death and 78 cases of control death underwent autopsy within 12h after death were studied.

Sudden death in a patient with idiopathic scoliosis.

We report an autopsy case of sudden death in a 36-year-old craftsman with idiopathic scoliosis. The doctor identified his scoliosis at the age of thirteen, and he was under medical care for three years until he stopped consulting the doctor. He collapsed while walking at the station and was sent to an emergency room in cardiopulmonary arrest state, where he was declared dead in spite of more than an hour of CPR.

Rapid simultaneous determination of ephedrines, amphetamines, cocaine, cocaine metabolites, and opiates in human urine by GC-MS.

This paper presents a simple and sensitive chromatographic procedure for the simultaneous determination and quantification of ephedrines, amphetamines, cocaine, cocaine metabolites, and opiates in human urine by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. This method involves enzyme hydrolysis in the presence of a deuterated internal standard, liquid-liquid extraction, and derivatization with pentafluoropropionic anhydride and pentafluoropropanol. The recovery of each compound averaged at 65.

The lipid and lipoprotein profiles of apo B-carrying particles in remnant-like lipoproteins isolated from plasma in sudden cardiac death cases.

Objective: Remnant-like lipoprotein particles (RLP) are known as a subset of TG-rich lipoproteins which possess proatherogenic properties. In this study we have elucidated the characteristics of apoB carrying lipoprotein particles in RLP isolated from plasma in sudden cardiac death (SCD) cases and in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients.

Methods: Lipids and lipoproteins, especially apoB-48 and apoB-100, were analyzed in plasma and in RLP from SCD and CAD cases with full stomach.

Validated gas chromatographic-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometric method for delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol in sweat patches.

Background: A sensitive gas chromatography-negative ion chemical ionization mass spectrometry (GC/MS-NICI) method was developed and validated for the measurement of Delta(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) in human sweat patches.

Methods: THC-d(0) and THC-d(3) were added to worn blank sweat patches (PharmChek; PharmChem Incorporated) and extracted with 3 mL of methanol-0.2 mol/L sodium acetate buffer (pH 5.

Validity of plasma remnant lipoproteins as surrogate markers of antemortem level in cases of sudden coronary death.

Hitherto triglycerides (TG) and TG-rich lipoproteins were been of limited value as surrogates for antemortem levels. We measured TG levels in postmortem plasma from sudden coronary death cases (SCD, n=91) by using two TG assays, Dry Chem TG (free glycerol was added) and the Determiner L-TG (without added free glycerol) that measured net TG. TG levels were markedly higher by the Dry Chem TG (y) vs.

Headspace solid-phase micro-extraction and gas chromatography with micro-electron capture detection for the measurement of p,p'-DDE in rat whole blood and hair.

A sensitive, specific, and reproducible capillary gas chromatography (GC) with micro-electron capture detection (micro-ECD) method using headspace solid-phase micro-extraction (HS-SPME) for the quantitative analysis of p,p'-DDE in rat whole blood and hair was developed. A 100 microm polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) phase was used for the extraction. The obtained detection limits were 0.

Remnant lipoproteins from patients with sudden cardiac death enhance coronary vasospastic activity through upregulation of Rho-kinase.

Objective: Sudden cardiac death (SCD) still remains a serious problem. We have previously shown that remnant-like particles (RLP) are the major risk factor for SCD and that Rho-kinase plays a central role in the molecular mechanism of coronary vasospasm. In this study, we examined whether RLP from patients with SCD upregulate Rho-kinase associated with an enhanced coronary vasospastic activity.

Hypertriglyceridemia in pregnancy does not contribute to the enhanced formation of remnant lipoprotein particles.

Background: During pregnancy, serum cholesterol (TC) and triglyceride (TG) concentrations are known to increase significantly, but whether remnant lipoprotein particles (RLP) increase has not been shown.

Methods: We compared lipid profiles in 22 healthy pregnant women to 31 healthy nonpregnant women and 24 patients with diabetes mellitus (DM), by measuring cholesterol and TG concentrations in major lipoprotein classes after HPLC separation and immunoseparation of RLP.

Results: Serum TG and TC concentrations were significantly higher in the pregnant group than in the healthy control or DM groups.

Remnant-like particles from subjects who died of coronary artery disease suppress NO synthase activity and attenuate endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation.

Background: Plasma levels of remnant-like particles (RLP) is one of the predictive markers for coronary artery disease (CAD), and the inhibition by RLP of endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation has been reported. We attempted to clarify whether or not RLP, which inhibits endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation, affects nitric oxide (NO) production and NO synthase (eNOS) levels in cultured endothelial cells.

Methods: RLP were obtained from postmortem blood of subjects who died of CAD.

Haploid allele mapping of Y-chromosome minisatellite, MSY1 (DYF155S1), to a Japanese population.

The present study analyses the human Y-chromosome minisatellite locus, MSY1 (DYF155S1), in 205 Japanese males of 191 pedigrees using the minisatellite variant repeat (MVR) mapping system. The internal haploid structures of the detected alleles considerably varied and consisted of three major repeat units: types 2, 3 and 4. A comparison of the haploid profiles of the MVR codes identified 185 distinct alleles, of which only five were shared.

Plasma triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnants as a risk factor of 'Pokkuri disease'.

In our recent report, it remained unclear whether or not triglyceride-rich lipoprotein remnants (RLP) were associated with the risk of sudden coronary death in younger cases without coronary atherosclerosis that were detected in about 10% of all sudden coronary death cases in Japan. These cases were categorized as 'origin unknown, but suspected to be due to coronary spasm', the so called 'pokkuri disease' in Japan. The present study population consisted of 108 sudden death cases without coronary atherosclerosis [(pokkuri disease n=57) and non-cardiac sudden death (control n=51)] aged 20-69 years from Kanagawa prefecture in Japan.