Publications by authors named "Takemura Y"

Anaerobic treatment of sulfur-rich wastewater is challenging because sulfide greatly inhibits the activity of anaerobic microorganisms, especially methanogenic archaea. We developed an internal phase-separated reactor (IPSR) that removed sulfide prior to methanogenesis by gas stripping using biogas produced in the reactor. The IPSR was fed with synthetic wastewater containing a very high sulfide concentration of up to 6,000 mg S L with a chemical oxygen demand (COD) of 30,000 mg L.

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Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment procedures. We speculated that during the COVID-19 pandemic, sufficient medical resources were maintained in board-certified hospitals, resulting in favorable short-term outcomes, whereas hospital functions in non-board-certified hospitals declined, leading to mortality increase. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on short-term outcomes after esophagectomy, based on the scale of the facilities.

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Introduction: Discharge planning involves coordinating between different care settings. Failed coordination can lead to delayed care at the facilities receiving discharged patients. Nurses who implement discharge planning must consider the circumstances of the staff receiving the discharged patients.

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Background: Due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment have changed. This study aimed to investigate the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection prior to gastroenterological cancer surgeries on postoperative complications using data from a nationwide database in Japan.

Methods: Data on patients who underwent surgery for cancer including esophageal, gastric, colon, rectal, liver, and pancreatic cancer between July 1, 2019, and September 300, 2022, from real-world sources in Japan were analyzed.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on pancreatic cancer surgeries, specifically pancreaticoduodenectomy, in Japan.
  • Researchers analyzed data from 22,255 patients over several years, determining that the number of surgeries actually increased, despite the pandemic's challenges.
  • Findings indicated that complication and mortality rates remained stable and within normal ranges, suggesting that the healthcare system effectively managed pancreatic cancer treatment during the pandemic.
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Background: During the COVID-19 pandemic, health care professionals experienced high levels of depression. However, extant research has not highlighted effective internet-based psychological interventions to improve the mental health in this population during the pandemic. It remains unclear whether self-guided, internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy (iCBT) programs are effective in improving the mental health of health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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  • - A nationwide study in Japan analyzed pediatric deceased donor liver transplantation (pDDLT) outcomes, focusing on the pediatric prioritization system implemented in 2018 to improve organ allocation.
  • - Data from 1999 to 2021 revealed a 1-year graft survival rate of 86.6% and identified four key risk factors affecting survival, including donor characteristics and recipient conditions.
  • - The new prioritization system led to better allocation of pediatric donor livers to pediatric recipients, increasing the number of pDDLTs and significantly enhancing survival rates and overall transplant conditions.
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Tumor microscopic structure is crucial for determining properties such as cancer type, disease state (key for early diagnosis), and novel therapeutic strategies. Magnetic particle imaging is an early cancer diagnostic tool using magnetic nanoparticles as a tracer, which actualizes cancer theranostics in combination with hyperthermia treatment using the abilities of magnetic nanoparticles as a heat source. This study focuses on the microscopic structures associated with cancer cell distribution, the stromal compartment, and vascularization in different kinds of living tumors by analyzing the intratumor magnetic relaxation response of magnetic nanoparticles injected into the tumors.

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Background: Uremic toxin indoxyl sulfate (IS) induces vascular inflammation, a crucial event in renal failure, and vascular complications in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). In endothelial cells, IS increases the production of inflammatory cytokines partially via the activation of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR), and several food flavonoids have been reported to act as antagonists of AhR.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate whether antagonistic flavonoids can attenuate IS-induced inflammatory responses in vascular endothelial cells and renal failure .

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Down-flow hanging sponge (DHS) reactors, employed in domestic wastewater treatment, have demonstrated efficacy in eliminating and other potentially pathogenic bacteria. The aim of this study was to elucidate the mechanism of removal of by employing a cube-shaped polyurethane sponge carrier within a compact hanging reactor. An removal experiment was conducted on this prepared sponge.

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  • This study explored how group learning impacts nurses' ability to sustain evidence-based practices (I-EBP) in healthcare settings, demonstrating the importance of group dynamics in implementing these practices.
  • Analyzed data from 360 nurses across 12 hospitals showed that groups' internalization of I-EBP significantly influenced the vital link between group learning and the ongoing use of I-EBP, while individual nurses' internalization did not have the same mediating effect.
  • The findings highlight the originality of examining group learning in organizational contexts and suggest that fostering a culture of group learning can enhance the longevity and effectiveness of evidence-based nursing practices.
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In this study, we discovered a turbulence transition in a large helical device. The turbulence level and turbulence-driven energy transport decrease to a specific transition density and increase above it. The ruling turbulences below and above the transition density were ion-temperature gradient (ITG) and resistive-interchange (RI) turbulences, consistent with the predictions of gyrokinetic theory and two-fluid MHD model, respectively.

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Pear pollination is performed by artificial pollination because the pollination rate through insect pollination is not stable. Pollen must be collected to secure sufficient pollen for artificial pollination. However, recently, collecting sufficient amounts of pollen in Japan has become difficult, resulting in increased imports from overseas.

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  • The Large Helical Device experiments revealed that heat pulses travel quickly and non-diffusively, with speed increasing as the pulse duration decreases.
  • There is a simultaneous movement of temperature gradients and turbulence, occurring over milliseconds, which fits the avalanche model's predictions.
  • These findings suggest that tighter, localized pulses lead to more instability in plasma, highlighting important considerations for maintaining steady-state conditions in future fusion reactors.
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Water outages caused by elevated ammonium (NH-N) levels are a prevalent problem faced by conventional raw water treatment plants in developing countries. A treatment solution requires a short hydraulic retention time (HRT) to overcome nitrification rate limitation in oligotrophic conditions. In this study, the performance of polluted raw water treatment using a green downflow sponge biofilm (DSB) technology was evaluated.

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Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of nutrition counselling (NC) in preventing undernutrition in elderly people living in depopulated areas.

Design: Participants were elderly people aged at least 65 years living in a depopulated area. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires evaluating nutritional status, frailty and body composition at the start of the study, after a non-NC period (3-month control) and after an NC period (3-month intervention).

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We report a CO-free approach to indole-2-carboxylic esters: rhodium-catalysed C(2)-alkoxycarbonylation of indoles with 2,4,6-trimethylbenzoic acid-based carbonate anhydrides. Selective C-O bond cleavage of the anhydrides facilitates the introduction of various alkoxycarbonyl groups. Control experiments suggest that merging a rhodium catalyst and KI promotes the formation of the RhI species.

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Repeated abuse of methamphetamine (METH) can cause dependence, repeated relapse of psychotic symptoms, compulsive drug-seeking behaviour, and various neurological symptoms. These long-term biological changes may be associated with epigenetic mechanisms; however, the association between METH use and epigenetic mechanisms has been poorly investigated. Thus, we performed an epigenome-wide association study of METH dependence using genomic DNA extracted from the blood samples of 24 patients with METH dependence and 24 normal controls.

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Background: Combination therapy with docetaxel (DTX) and ramucirumab (RAM) has been used as a second-line treatment for advanced or recurrent lung cancer. However, there is insufficient evidence regarding the safety of angiogenesis inhibitors in older patients.

Objective: This multicenter retrospective study aimed to investigate the efficacy and safety of second-line treatment regimens in older patients with advanced or recurrent non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

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Key Clinical Message: Although the lean mass hyper-responder (LMHR) phenotype is well known, its diagnosis is impeded by the influence of fat type and intake on the lipid profile. Accordingly, a detailed assessment is warranted if LMHR is suspected.

Abstract: A 47-year-old man with suspected familial hypercholesterolemia presented with elevated triglyceride and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels.

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Aim: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted the allocation of medical resources, including cancer screening, diagnosis, and treatment. We aimed to investigate the effects of the pandemic on morbidity and mortality following hepatectomy for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods: We identified patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC between 2018 and 2021 from the Japanese National Clinical Database (NCD).

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Background: The relationship between adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) and depression risk has been well documented. However, it remains unclear whether stress-related chronic conditions associated with ACEs, such as asthma, increase the long-term mental health burden of ACEs.

Objective: To investigate the joint association of ACEs and asthma with subsequent depressive symptoms among US adults.

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This column describes a quasi-experimental trial that examined the effects of an intervention in which both nurses and nursing assistants shared their perceptions of the nursing assistant role on the frequency of information-sharing behaviors. In the intervention group, the frequency of nurses' linguistic responses in the intervention group increased in the nursing assistants' evaluations. The frequency of nursing assistants' linguistic response and feedback in the intervention group increased in self-evaluation and nurses' evaluation, respectively.

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Aim: This study investigated the ways in which nurses caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic's early stages recognized professional growth through their experiences and continued working for several years, as well as the key experiences for identifying professional growth, external factors, and career intentions.

Methods: We used a qualitative research method called the Trajectory Equifinality Model (TEM). The participants were nine nurses caring for COVID-19 patients during the pandemic's early stages and had already recognized professional growth through a series of experiences.

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Article Synopsis
  • BK polyomavirus (BKPyV) primarily affects immunocompromised patients, leading to various diseases, and its replication can be impacted by intravenous immunoglobulin G (IVIG) treatment.
  • Administering IVIG three hours post-infection effectively suppressed BKPyV replication and reduced the number of infected cells, although it did not affect virus release from infected cells.
  • Early use of IVIG is crucial for minimizing BKPyV growth and spread, which can help prevent related diseases in at-risk populations.
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